Damian Lillard has already made a big impact on the Portland Trail Blazers. He’s shown his loyalty to the team time and time again, refusing to team up with other stars at different places, and staying at Moda Center to compete with his teammates.
Dame was the next big thing for this squad when he was drafted into the NBA, but after winning the Rookie of the Year award, the point guard has been unable to find much success with his team.
The farthest he took this team was the 2019 Western Conference Finals, where the Golden State Warriors swept them. Still, Dame has all the love in the world in Portland, and if he breaks a long-standing record soon, he will probably be a top 2 player in team history.
Damian Lillard Shares His Thoughts On Potentially Surpassing Clyde Drexler As Trail Blazers’ Top Scorer
As things stand right now, Clyde Drexler is the team’s all-time scoring leader with 18,040 points. Dame is only 531 points away from the legendary shooting guard, and he’s aiming to break that record this upcoming season.
“Clyde wanted to see me win in Portland,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports of his conversations with Drexler. “But he told me to do what I had to do to be happy. He also said, ‘Hold the organization accountable.’ And at that time, I was thinking I would hate to come this close and miss out on that opportunity to pass Drexler if I was to leave. I mean, I’m right there. I definitely thought about it, but I never really believed I would be leaving Portland. It ended up all working out.”
Lillard knows this would be huge for him and the team. He hasn’t shown anything more than love to the Trail Blazers and the city of Portland, and breaking this record would confirm that he’s another legend of the franchise.
“This feat would mean a lot to me,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports. “Just the respect I have for the organization and for Clyde and how great of a player he was. I think it shows just how productive I’ve been throughout my career. It would truly be an honor.”
Even Drexler, the team’s GOAT, chimed in on this, saying that Dame is the right player to break his record after everything he’s done for the franchise.
“You and I know records are made to be broken, but I can’t think of a better player or person to break the record than Dame,” Drexler told Yahoo Sports. “He exemplifies being a team player and going about his business in a professional way. I have nothing but admiration and respect for him. When he comes close to getting the record, and if our schedules align, I would love to be there to help out in any way I can. That’s a nice milestone to achieve. I am looking forward to him accomplishing that.”
Dame could break this record in the first weeks of competition, reaching another milestone in his career in Portland. Right now, he ranks 1st on the all-time PPG list, but he could add more accolades to his resume and cement his legacy as an all-time great Blazer.
