Damian Lillard Returns, Talks Love of Portland, Welcomed By Teammates

Damian Lillard Returns, Talks Love of Portland, Welcomed By Teammates | Portland Trail Blazers

and a guard 63 from Weaver State wearing the letter O D [Applause] All right. I appreciate it. I appreciate it. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Um, you know what time it is. You know what time it is. Uh, first I just want to uh say how much I appreciate uh you guys showing this type of love. Um, I think it’s well documented how much the Trailblazers, the city of Portland, being a part of this community. Y’all know how much it it means to me. Um, so I’m extremely excited and happy to be back. Um, I’m excited to be back. Uh, you know, just being back in this city, you know, has brought a different type of joy back to my life, you know, and my spirit. So, I’m I’m happy to be back. I’m happy to uh be a part of um a really good team as well. Um, I think it’s important for me to, you know, acknowledge as much as this is extremely important to me personally, um, I think what the possibilities are for this team, uh, to become great is something that made me just as equally as excited as I was about, you know, coming home. So having this type of team, young, depth, you know, future stars of the league, being able to contribute to their success and be a part of that, um, I think it’s going to open the door to to bring back a lot of a lot of special moments to Rip City. So, uh, make some noise for for all my teammates that also came out for support. Yes, sir. And the same for for Joe, um Jody, Bert, um you know, everybody who’s played a part in not only my success in my career during my time in Portland, but also making it possible for me to to return and welcoming me back with open arms. So, it’s much appreciated. I’m excited to be back. The love never changed and it’s going to continue to grow. So, I appreciate y’all, man. Thank you. Man, don’t do all they’re going to go all day. All day. [Applause] All right. All right. Now, I’ve got a few questions for Dave. I got, you know, I’ve been waiting a long time to ask you some questions again, man. First of all, thanks for bringing the sunshine back out to Portland here today. We appreciate that. So, I I got a question for you. Let’s rewind if you can back to 2024 January. You know, NBA players are creatures of habit. They all have their same routines. Tell us what it was like for you coming to MOA Center and having to go to the visiting team locker room. How weird was that for you? It was it was one of the more weird moments of my career. Uh when I walked in a building, I actually didn’t even know where it was, believe it or not. I didn’t I didn’t know where to go. So, it was it was weird to walk into that building that’s so familiar, but then it was the one room that I probably couldn’t find. So, um I didn’t know where it was, but uh just that experience overall, you know, when I got to the floor, um I I walked out and I was like, usually I can put my emotions aside and I can, you know, I can lock in in any environment, you know, I can get my mind right and do what I got to do. And that was one of the first times that I I felt like, you know, from the start of the game, and I mean like pregame until the end of the game, I never I never was able to engage and and go to a place that I’ve always been able to go to. And I think that’s because of like the genuine emotions that I felt. You know, I’m looking around at this building that I’ve always played in. you know, I played most of my games there and now like I’m not a part of this no more, you know, and I think it it affected me and um you know, I think it was a eye opener for me on that night. How much nicer is the Blazer locker room than the visiting team locker room? It’s it’s much nicer. It’s much nicer. We want to make sure we’re taking care of the home crowd. Now, you talked about it a little bit, you know, stepping out onto the court, pregame warm-ups. Tell us what was like for you in that moment when you were introduced uh as a member of the visiting team but still got that ovation from Rip City. Man, I I didn’t know what to do. You know, it was like typically I’m I try to not, you know, draw any attention to myself or I try to, you know, just kind of float under the radar. And when it’s a moment to stick my chest out or to stand my ground, I’ll do it. But it’s not like I’m a, you know, I’m not looking for that. So when I had to kind of face that and I was able to feel I’m scared of bees. Hold on. Almost got me. Um but when I was when I kind of was forced to face that that amount of love and the ovation and how it just kept going on and on and on, um that was that was tough to deal with. You know, it was it was hard. So, so you mentioned a little bit earlier and I think everybody who’s watched you play know what a cool customer you are and you try to keep your emotions in check like you said, but we saw it a little bit at the end of that video. Take us through the emotions walking into the Trailblazers locker room for that first time after you’re back with the team. Uh, it was I I was overcome with a lot of emotion. And I think mostly because not only am I coming back to, you know, this city and this organization, um, but it was unexpected, you know, I over the last two seasons being in a different city, being away from my family and being away from my kids, um, it was a lot of quiet time and a lot of alone time and it was a lot of things that I just didn’t have that I, you know, had become accustomed to as a regular part of my day, part of my week. It wasn’t there. So, just walking in the locker room, seeing my jersey, knowing like I’m I’m a part of this this team again, uh I’m a part of this this city again. It was just a special feeling. And yeah, it was a it was a special feeling just to to know that and know that it was, you know, it was done and it was confirmed because I I was under contract for two more years, you know, and it took a major injury, unfortunately. It took a lot of things for something like this to happen cuz I you know it couldn’t have been scripted better. You know I couldn’t have scripted it better. Only God could and and he did. [Applause] Now today’s welcome is special is really special. But tell us what’s it going to be like for you to be introduced again at the Mot Center as a member of the Trailblazers. How are you going to feel then? Man, it’s it’s going to feel great. I think um yeah, it’s going to feel great. It’s going to feel great. And um that’s that’s something that I’m really looking forward to. I think every time that I’ve ever put that uniform on, you know, I in my mind I always, you know, would say to Joe sometimes like I want to step out there and you know, everybody look like, you know, that’s a real team. Like I want to represent the Blazers in that way. like when we get to the tip, I want them to look at us and know like this this team is there. And I think this time around, you know, I’m extremely excited to be introduced, but for that reason, because when I look at our team and I look at the guys and I got to see them from a distance before I came back to be a part of the team and I love what I see. So being a part of that is being a part of that is what I’m most excited about. You know, just not only being able to be introduced, but being able to be introduced and know the type of team that I’m stepping out there with. Now, now you mentioned you mentioned your kids earlier and even in your reintroductory press conference, you said you were driving when it finally dawned on your daughter that she didn’t have to get on a plane to go home, which is awesome. But when did that set in for you despite the travels of the NBA and the rigors of the schedule that you Damen Lillard were back home here in Oregon? When did that set in? I mean, I would say like around that same time it started to really uh register to me that like, man, like this is really happening. And then I would say like a week ago and that would be the about the time that I would usually be having to to pick up and leave. And when I was like, man, I don’t I don’t have nowhere to go. Like I’m home. That was when it really that was when it really clicked and I was just like, man, I don’t I don’t have to go nowhere, you know? I’m I’m I’m home. That was that was how it crossed my mind. Appreciate it. Now, now, as excited as we are to have Damen Lillard, the basketball player, back here on the Trailblazers, we’re equally excited to have Damen Lillard, the person back here in Portland and in Oregon. Tell us tell us a little bit about why it was important for you to continue the work that you do in the community with your basketball camps and your charity even while you were a member of the Bucks. Um, I think it’s just, uh, like I said, this is home. You know, I I’ve been, uh, living in Portland for 14 years now. And, you know, you don’t forget about home. You know, things happen in your life. And, uh, I think that goes for everybody here, but, you know, the things that you love and the things that you care about, um, you don’t stop caring and stop loving on those things just because, you know, there might be some changes. So, um, everything that I’ve been connected to in the community, um, SEI, Black Parent Initiative, uh, the respect campaign, uh, everything that I’ve done, uh, around the city, my heart was connected to it. You know, I only do things that I truly care about and that I’m truly invested in. So, that wasn’t going to change because I was no longer a part of uh the Portland Trailblazers organization because actually in my mind and in my heart, you know, I and I said it, you know, when I did leave, I was like, I I think I’ll be in a Trailblazer uniform again. I just didn’t know when. So, you know, my heart and my mind was never different than than it was, and it’ll it’ll continue to be that way. Well, we appreciate that for sure. Home is where the heart is for sure. So now you mentioned it a little bit earlier and uh even in your reintroduction press conference, this team that you’re you’re joining, you talked about a young team that is ready to defend and even when you were with the Bucks, you’d follow in because we’re on the West Coast, so your games would be over and you’d be able to check in. What excites you the most about joining this new iteration of the Trailblazers? Um, I just think as a whole, like when I when I see the team, a lot of the NBA is changing. You know, it’s not the same old thing. You’re seeing a lot of the younger teams starting to get out front. And those teams have depth. You know, they got a lot of defenders. They got multiple scores. Uh, they got size. They have length. And I think with our team over the last couple years, they’ve been able to grow and grow and grow and grow. And then you add like a couple vets to the team and me looking at it, I just I see the potential, you know, I see what it could be. Um, watching the games, you know, I see somebody like Tummani and I’m like, I want to play with him, you know. I see Denny and I’m like, I want to play with him. I see Shay. I was here with Shay as a rookie and I’m looking at Shay and I’m like, I want to play with this Shay. You know, I see um a superstar level talent point guard like Scoot Henderson and I’m like I can I can help him, you know, I can be a part of his journey. And when I look at this team like as a whole um and what it could be and that’s like I said from a distance and now being up close and being around the team more like I I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it and I really think you know this team has a potential to do the same as a lot of these other up and cominging teams are doing and I’m excited to be a part of that. Well, you mentioned some of your teammates are here to support you. So, let’s bring them up right now. What do you think?

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