Damian Lillard Says 'It Never Felt Right for Me Not to Be Home' After Blazers Contract
Damian Lillard is back in his basketball home, and he said Monday that it "never felt right" for him to be away.
The guard agreed to return to the Portland Trail Blazers on a three-year, $42 million deal with a 2027-28 player option this offseason and had an introductory press conference Monday.
"For this to even be possible, we all had to be on the same page," he told reporters. "It never felt right for me not to be home. I'm really thankful and appreciative of the door being open for me to come back, even with me being hurt."
Portland selected Lillard with the No. 6 pick of the 2012 NBA draft, and he established himself as arguably the best player in franchise history over the course of the next 11 seasons.
His overall resume includes the 2012-13 Rookie of the Year, seven All-NBA selections, nine All-Star nods and a spot on the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. He is the franchise's all-time leader in points, three-pointers and free throws, among other categories, and helped lead it to the 2019 Western Conference Finals.
While he played the past two seasons on the Milwaukee Bucks, he clearly felt like he left a piece of himself in Portland given Monday's comments.
Unfortunately for Trail Blazers fans, they may have to wait until the 2026-27 campaign to see him take the court. He suffered a torn Achilles during Milwaukee's playoff run and will be focused on rehabbing it in the early portion of his new contract.
"He'll be back as good as ever, if you know anything about him," head coach Chauncey Billups told reporters. "This year, he'll be the highest-paid assistant coach in history. I'll be putting him to work every day."
For his part, Lillard said he spoke with Aaron Rodgers, Kevin Durant and Rudy Gay about battling back from Achilles injuries and added, "if it's a mental battle, I don't lose those. If it's physical, it's possible. But mental battles I don't lose."
If nothing else, he will have the backing of a fanbase that loves him as he goes through that mental battle and attempts to put himself back in a position where he can star for the Trail Blazers.
