Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard runs off the court docket after warmups earlier than an NBA basketball sport towards the Portland Path Blazers in Portland, Ore., Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. (AP Photograph/Steve Dykes)
PORTLAND, Oregon— Damian Lillard was greeted with a prolonged standing ovation by an appreciative Portland crowd when he was launched for Milwaukee’s sport towards the Path Blazers within the NBA on Wednesday evening.
Lillard, who spent 11 seasons with the Blazers and nonetheless has a house in Portland, performed his first sport within the metropolis because the offseason commerce that despatched him to the Bucks.
The sellout crowd on the Moda Heart feted Lillard with cheers. He responded with by applauding the followers and held up his arms in a coronary heart form earlier than his Bucks teammates danced round him.
However the celebration was muted on the finish of the evening by the Blazers’ 119-116 shock victory over the Bucks.
In a information convention earlier than the sport, Lillard mentioned his return was surreal.
Damian Lillard receives an ovation from Rip Metropolis in his return to Portland ❤️👏
Path Blazers-Bucks | LIVE on ESPN pic.twitter.com/HFjFhcRcS9
— NBA (@NBA) February 1, 2024
“Though I knew I used to be coming right here as a customer, as soon as I acquired to my home and took my son to highschool this morning, it was nearly such as you neglect that that is street sport,” he mentioned to greater than three dozen reporters.
Lillard mentioned he spoke that morning to former teammate CJ McCollum, who performed 9 seasons with the Blazers earlier than he was traded to New Orleans in 2022.
“He referred to as me and he was like, ‘Hey man, embrace it. It’s going to be emotional. We put our time in and we put our work in. We had moments and it was a whole lot of years of us giving all the things we had, and we have been appreciated.’ When he got here again, he was like, ‘It was that second, I felt the appreciation for all the things that we put into it,’” Lillard mentioned.
An eight-time All-Star, Lillard averaged 32.2 factors with the Blazers final season. He turned simply the seventh participant in NBA historical past to attain greater than 70 factors in a sport — that quantity has since elevated to 9 — when he completed with 71 towards the Houston Rockets final February. He averaged 25.2 factors, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.7 assists throughout his time with the Blazers.
However Portland gained solely 4 playoff collection in Lillard’s tenure, attending to the Western Convention Finals simply as soon as. The group went 33-49 final season, the second consecutive 12 months it completed properly outdoors the playoff image.
With Milwaukee, Lillard got here in averaging 25.1 factors and 6.8 assists. Final week, Milwaukee fired coach Adrian Griffin after solely 43 video games and employed veteran Doc Rivers to take over with the purpose of one other NBA title in thoughts.
Lillard mentioned it has been nice being a part of a group that has “tasted successful and needs to get again to that.”
“Enjoying with Giannis (Antetokounmpo) it’s been nice. I believe enjoying with one other prime 75 gamers, two-time MVP, Defensive Participant of the 12 months, championship Finals MVP, I’m simply in a position to really feel what a luxurious it’s to have a man as dominant as he’s on flooring,” Lillard mentioned.
He wouldn’t rule out a attainable return to the Blazers sometime.
A child within the stands held an indication directed at Lillard that mentioned: “Go get your ring then come again house.”
“I believe due to how I really feel about Portland, how I really feel in regards to the group right here, my time that I spent right here, in my thoughts I’ve all the time felt that’s how my profession would finish,” he mentioned. “Proper now I’m simply within the area of like, that is the place I’m now. I’m in Milwaukee. I would like a possibility to contend, and our group has a possibility to contend this years and years to return.”