Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard isn’t sure exactly when he will be playing again. He’s just grateful that moment will come sooner than anyone could have reasonably expected.

Ausar Thompson, the Detroit Pistons’ high-flying 22-year-old wing, was diagnosed with a blood clot in March 2024 and did not return to the court until November. Chris Bosh, who played with the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat and retired in 2019, had a pulmonary embolism before eventually being diagnosed with DVT.