After a whirlwind year filled with trade rumors, relocation, and championship hopes with the Bucks, Damian Lillard’s return to Portland was about more than just basketball; it was about home. In his latest press conference, the veteran guard shared a touching moment about breaking the news to his kids, who were thrilled to learn they wouldn’t have to board another plane to Milwaukee. For Lillard, the move back to Portland was a return to comfort, stability, and the city where his family feels most grounded.
“I didn’t say [anything] to them about it until Saturday when I actually signed,” said Lillard. “They were with me and we got back in the car to go home, and I got to a red light, and I just turned around and my daughter was looking at me and I told her and she was like, ‘Wait, we don’t have to get on the airplane to Milwaukee anymore?’ I was like ‘Yeah, y’all don’t got to get on the plane no more.’ And she was like, ‘So you’re gonna be in your house in Portland the whole time?’ I was like, ‘Yeah,’ and she was like, ‘What?!’ And her brothers were listening to that back and forth, and they were really excited. I saved it until I knew it was official.”
Damian Lillard’s career began in Portland, where the Trail Blazers drafted him with the sixth pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. He won Rookie of the Year in 2013 and, by his second season, was an All-Star at the ripe age of 23 years old. Over 11 seasons with the Blazers, Lillard averaged 25.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game on 43.9% shooting. But after trying and failing to make a Finals run, things reached a breaking point in Portland when he demanded a trade in 2023.
Lillard eventually found himself in Milwaukee for two seasons, where he shared the court with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the pursuit of a title. Damian was prepared for some growing pains, but what he didn’t expect was the nightmare scenario that transpired. The Bucks couldn’t get past the first round in two years and massively underachieved in the regular season.
Besides being the scapegoat for his team’s failures, Lillard was experiencing troubles at home that became a major distraction. To top it off, he tore his Achilles in the playoffs this year, effectively ending his tenure with the franchise.
Despite the series of events, Damian seems content with how things ended. He wasn’t able to win a title in Milwaukee, but he gets to return home (to the Blazers) and make tons of money while doing it. There’s no doubt Lillard will be happier under these conditions, especially considering how miserable he was in Milwaukee. Best of all, his daughter won’t have to worry about taking a flight halfway across the country to visit her father.
For Damian Lillard, the return to Portland marks a full-circle moment. After a difficult stretch of injuries, on-court struggles, and off-court challenges, he’s back in the city that first embraced him—a place where his family feels grounded and where the expectations, while still high, feel familiar and real.
He may not contend for a title this year, and he may never win the championship that’s eluded him for over a decade. But Lillard’s return is a reminder that some moves in the NBA aren’t about rings, they’re about roots. And for one father at a red light in Portland, that was more than enough.
