Damian Lillard returns to Portland, where he still sees a future

PORTLAND, Ore. — As Damian Lillard walked into Portland's Moda Center Wednesday night for the first time as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, he instinctively headed toward his home locker room.

It's the same path he took for 11 years as a member of the Trail Blazers, and he later said he still doesn't feel like a returning visitor to this city.

“I really didn’t know where to go,” Lillard said in a pregame press conference. “I’ve never been in the visitors’ locker room until today.”

Wednesday marked Lillard's first game in Portland since being traded to Milwaukee in October. He was greeted with a minute-long standing ovation when his name was announced during the pregame introductions. The Blazers did their part to spoil the homecoming, however, clinging to a 119-116 victory over the Bucks, as Lillard finished with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists.

While Lillard emphasized his commitment to the Bucks, he also left the door open for a potential return to the franchise that drafted him before the end of his career.

“Because of how I feel about Portland,” Lillard said. “How I feel about the organization here and the time I spent here, in my mind I always thought that was how my career would end.

“Right now, I'm just in a space like, this is where I am now. I'm in Milwaukee. I wanted the opportunity to compete, and our team has the opportunity to compete for this year and years to come, and I'm just living in it. But definitely, when I got traded, I see a day where I'll wear a Trail Blazer uniform again before I'm done.”

Lillard arrived in Portland before the Bucks after Monday's game. He still has family here and said he can't wait to sleep in his own bed and have a birthday party for his twins, Kali and Kalii.

The Blazers, who drafted Lillard with the No. 6 pick in 2012, welcomed him back with two first-quarter tribute videos — one highlighting his on-court accomplishments and iconic moments, the other his impact off the field and in Portland. community. A child in the crowd held up a sign that read, “Take your ring then come home!” »

“We just feel appreciation and love,” Lillard said after the game. “I just stood in there. It was like, man, this is a big deal. Just take this moment and have everyone in the building show me this type of love, of appreciation for a lot of things during my stay here… So, I enjoyed it.

Lillard received a call from Pelicans guard CJ McCollum, another former Blazer, as he was about to shoot Wednesday morning, telling him to embrace the emotions of the night.

“My feelings about playing here, my feelings about doing my best for the organization while I was here, it was genuine,” Lillard said before the game. “It took a lot out of me, so I'm sure it's going to be a lot of emotions. Just being back out there and seeing the familiar faces. There's a lot of people in the crowd, I'm going to recognize those faces because I have seen them many times, so many years.

“So I'm going to leave things as they are. I'm not going to cry, none of that. I'm not a big cryer, but I'm not going to hide the emotions that I feel about it. I think so.” is a moment that means a lot to me and to many other people.”

“Right now, I'm just in a space like, this is where I am now. I'm in Milwaukee. I wanted the opportunity to compete and our team has the opportunity to compete for this year and the years to come and I'm just living in there. But when I was traded, I see a day when I'll wear a Trail Blazer uniform again before I'm done. ”

Damien Lillard

Lillard actually requested a trade from Portland earlier this summer, which he acknowledges led to conflicts between him and the organization before his departure. He said he still hasn't spoken to Blazers general manager Joe Cronin since the trade.

But Lillard said he still keeps an eye on the Blazers, primarily looking after guard Anfernee Simons, who he considers a brother.

However, Lillard didn't look to this game for any sort of closure or catharsis.

“A lot of the things I’ve experienced here, I know it will always be a part of me,” Lillard said. “It will always be a part of me because everything I said, how I felt about my time, I meant it.”