Damian Lillard’s return to Portland is perfect. He becomes emotional.
Damian Lillard returns to his NBA home club. The point guard signed a new three-year, $42 million contract, equipped with a no-trade clause and a player option after two seasons. He had his three children with him at the appointment in the club headquarters.
It was a moment that the nine-time All-Star only really became aware of on the subsequent car ride. “I’m driving the same streets as my entire adult life, my family is here, my friends – everything counts,” Lillard explained. “I didn’t expect it to go so fast.”
Damian Lillard returns to Portland
However, “Dame Time” will initially be missing on the court. In the first playoff round against Indiana, the 35-year-old tore his left Achilles tendon, followed by surgery. The Bucks then fired the superstar.
Portland’s Head Coach Chauncey Billups took it with humor: “He will be the highest-paid assistant coach in the league this year, I’ll use him every day.” General Manager Joe Cronin emphasized that they would “wait as long as necessary.” Lillard himself sounds more relaxed than at the beginning of his career: “My pride would have thought differently in the past, but you get smarter with age. If it’s best to take my time, I’ll do that.”
The sixth pick of the 2012 draft already holds the records in Portland for the most points (19,376) and most three-pointers (2,387) and is one of only seven players with a 70-point game (71 against Houston 2023). Last season, Lillard averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists, but missed 24 games. Nevertheless, the coaches voted him into the All-Star Game again – for the ninth time.
During his eleven years in Oregon, he led the Blazers to four playoff series wins and once, in 2019, to the Western Conference Finals. He then sought the hoped-for path to the title alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee via trade – an experiment that ended early after the serious injury.