Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard will undergo abdominal surgery on Thursday to take care of an abdominal injury.
He will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks.
He saw two specialists this week, one in St. Louis and the other in Philadelphia, and both agreed this was the best course of action, sources said.
Lillard’s return to the court this season will depend on where his health is and where the Blazers are in the season considering their disappointing start.
He has been publicly dealing with the injury since the Tokyo Olympics last summer.
In early December, an MRI confirmed the lower abdominal tendinopathy, and Lillard later received a cortisone injection to mitigate the pain he has dealt with in the past few years.
He did return to action after the shot and played nine games in December before being forced out once again.
Lillard was last on the court on December 31.
He has missed 11 total games this season, and with his current recovery timeline, it will be the most time he has missed in his entire career.
Lillard is averaging 24 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game this season, his 10th with the Trail Blazers.
Portland (16-24) currently sits in 10th place and in the final play-in tournament spot in the Western Conference.
The team is about to embark on a six-game road trip, starting Thursday in Denver.
The Trail Blazers then take a swing through the Eastern Conference with games at Washington (Saturday), Orlando (Monday), Miami (Jan. 19), Boston (Jan. 21), and Toronto (Jan. 23).
The Trail Blazers also are without CJ McCollum, who suffered a pneumothorax of his right lung on December 4 and has been out since.
He has since recovered from that injury and is expected to return to action after the birth of his first child.
Damian Lillard is in the midst of a very rocky season as speculation has circled all year of his impending departure from the Pacific Northwest.
