In a chat with Austin Rivers on the ‘Eye For the Game’ podcast, Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard spoke up on his matchups against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. According to Dame, he always felt a healthy level of envy toward Steph that sparked intense showdowns on the court.
“As far as it being personal, it was me against Russ. With Steph, it was always like—Steph took off, and I was chasing,” said Lillard. “I wanted what he had. He’s winning championships, everybody’s talking about him. So I was very competitive with Steph, especially in those years where I was like, ‘No, I can do that too.’”
As a 12-year NBA veteran, Damian Lillard has earned his place as one of the best point guards in the league. Since being drafted in 2012, he’s averaged 25.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game for his career. After 11 years with the Trail Blazers, Lillard was traded to the Bucks in 2023, where he remains to this day.
Throughout his career, Damian has been known for his three-point shooting. His talent for making shots from mid-court earned him the nickname “Logo Lillard” and it was his bread-and-butter during his days with the Trail Blazers.
Still, no matter how many logo threes that Lillard made, it was never enough for him to surpass Curry as the NBA’s best long-range sniper. Steph, who turned 37 in March, changed the NBA with his abilities and brought worldwide fame and recognition to the Golden State Warriors.
In 16 years in the NBA, Curry is averaging 24.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game on 42.3% shooting from three. As a 4x champion, 2x MVP, and 11x All-Star, Steph’s legacy is undeniable and Damian Lillard was one of many star point guards who had to sit back and watch him dominate the league for years.
The two don’t cross paths often, but they’ve faced off before in the playoffs and the results are exactly what you’d expect. In the postseason, Curry is 10-0 against Lillard and won every series against his Trail Blazers. During their most recent series in the 2019 West Finals, the Warriors swept the Blazers with Curry averaging 36.5 points per game in the series.
From 2015-2022, Steph and the Warriors had the entire league in a chokehold and they set a standard for greatness that has yet to be matched. For Lillard, he will likely never have such a stretch in his NBA tenure but he still has time to go out as a champion.
Alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dame has a fresh start on the Bucks and he’s trying to make the most of it. Following an early exit in last year’s postseason, Milwaukee is committed to a better finish and Lillard hopes to be along for the ride this April when the Bucks face the Pacers in the first-round.
As usual, Steph Curry will be competing for the same prize and his team is once again among the favorites to come out of the West. His success brings out the best in all of his competitors and he made it look so easy that everyone thought they could do it. So far, however, no player has been able to recreate his amazing impact on the floor.
