Damian Lillard on Wanting NBA Title with Blazers: I'm Willing to 'Die on That Hill'

Damian Lillard has always been committed to bringing a championship to Portland, the organization that has believed in him from the moment it drafted him sixth overall out of Weber State.

Now, 11 seasons deep into his career and still with no ring, the 32-year-old All-Star remains as hellbent as ever in achieving that ultimate goal.

In an ESPN feature on Lillard by Baxter Holmes, Lillard made it clear that he still wants to be like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dirk Nowitzki, who earned their championships the hard way by opting not to join a superteam.

"To that point," Lillard said, "I'm also willing to die on that hill."

In a league full of teams with two—sometimes even three—superstars, Lillard stands alone as the top dog in Portland, putting on titanic performances night in and night out in order to keep the Blazers afloat.

His latest outburst came Sunday night in a 71-point masterpiece that's tied for the eighth-most points in a single game in league history. It included a 41-point first half and 13 made threes by Lillard.

With a limited supporting cast aside from the now-departed CJ McCollum, Lillard has managed to keep Portland competitive in the Western Conference, with the team making the playoffs for eight straight seasons starting in 2014. In 2019 he led the organization to its first conference finals in nearly 20 years.

Now, it is a much steeper hill to climb if Lillard wants to capture that elusive title with teams like the Nuggets, Grizzlies, Suns, Clippers and Lakers all fighting for Western Conference supremacy.

Although it is getting solid contributions from Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant, Portland looks far from being a title contender this season. The Blazers are 29-31 and 11th in the West, half a game behind the last play-in tournament spot.