Damian Lillard's mom Gina Johnson reacts to son's devastating Achilles injury on Bucks

On Monday, the Milwaukee Bucks provided a devastating update on Damian Lillard that negatively affects their championship aspirations. According to a report from ESPN's Shams Charania, the nine-time All-Star has been diagnosed with a torn left Achilles tendon.

Following the announcement, the team posted a photo of Lillard with a heartwarming caption.

"Love you, Dame," the Bucks captioned.

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It was reposted by Lillard's mother, Gina Johnson, with "folded hands" emojis.

Gina Johnson's IG story (Photo credits: @sugagee/Instagram)

This latest setback for Lillard happened midway through the first quarter of Game 4 on Sunday. He stumbled to the ground while trying to get the ball on a noncontact injury. Lillard was helped off the court and did not return. He registered two rebounds and two assists in six minutes.

It was only Lillard's third game back from a deep-vein thrombosis that kept him sidelined for 15 games. Without him, Milwaukee lost to the Indiana Pacers 129-103 and is down 3-1 in the first-round playoff series.

Also read: Damian Lillard’s season shut down after alarming MRI result, per NBA insider

Giannis Antetokounmpo shared his thoughts when Damian Lillard got hurt

Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked what went through his mind when he saw Damian Lillard go down during Game 4's postgame press conference.

"You see your teammate going down, your first thought is 'get up, get up get, up,'" Antetokounmpo said on Sunday (0:28).

He added that his thoughts changed, and he recognized the severity of it when the team's medical staff came onto the court.

"(Lillard's) a competitor," Antetokounmpo said (01:05). "He wants to play in big games, he wants to help the team win. When you see a guy like that unable to walk on his own, you kinda know this might be serious and just hope for the best case scenario."

Before Game 4, Lillard struggled to find his shot against the Pacers. In the 123-115 loss in Game 2 on Tuesday, he scored 14 points on 4 of 13 shooting. In Game 3 on Friday, he recorded seven on 2 of 12 shooting.

With Lillard sidelined again, Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. could both have more playing time. Rollins will likely be inserted in the starting lineup again, just like when Lillard was out due to a deep vein thrombosis.

About the author

Miguel is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 7 years. A lover of the sport owing to its mental aspect, he has played it throughout high school and college as a power forward and small forward, and has also coached high school and college basketball teams. These experiences have given him a unique perspective on the game, which translates into insightful content.

For Miguel, the San Antonio Spurs, especially during the Tim Duncan era, were the embodiment of team basketball. He respects Gregg Popovich's empathy toward his players and his understanding of the game. The Spurs' titles, Kobe Bryant's poignant "Dear Basketball" tribute, Derrick Rose's remarkable 50-point game with Minnesota and Magic Johnson's remarkable comeback are among Miguel's top basketball moments.

For his articles, he conducts thorough research, cross verifies information with at least three sources, and sometimes sacrifices speed for accuracy. Content simplification and maintaining a neutral view on topics are his strengths.

Miguel follows other sports, particularly the NFL, and when not working he enjoys hobbies like cooking and playing video games.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez