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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — “About a week ago around the time I usually have to leave, I thought wait, I don’t have anywhere to go, I’m home.”
A packed Pioneer Courthouse Square welcomed home 9-time all-star Damian Lillard on Sunday during the Portland Trail Blazers Rip City Reunion event. Lillard walked on stage and was greeted by over a minute of the crowd chanting ‘Dame’ and cheering.
Lillard told fans that Portland has always been home to him even when he was across the country, “I’m excited to be back here, the love never changed and it’s going to continue to grow. My coming back to this organization was unexpected. But knowing that I’m a part of this team and this city again, it’s a special feeling.
Lillard re-signed with Portland in July 2025 after spending two seasons in the Milwaukee. He suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the 2024-25 NBA playoffs and will not hit the court until the 2026-27 season.
Lillard said his return to the Moda Center after being traded to the Bucks in 2024 “was one of the weirder moments of my career. I actually had no idea where the visitor locker room was.”
“Usually, I can put my emotions aside, lock in, and do what I got to do. It was one of the first times that I felt like I wasn’t able to engage like I always do. I was forced to face that amount of love and ovation and how it just kept going on and on.”
Lillard spent the first 11 seasons of his career in Portland, where he was selected No. 6 overall by the Blazers in the 2012 NBA Draft and won the 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. The Oakland, Calif. native is the all-time franchise leader in points (19,376), points per game (25.2), 3-pointers made (2,387), free throws made (4,427) and free throw percentage (89.5%).
He was later joined on stage by a number of his future team members to show their support, including the Blazers 2025 NBA first round draft pick Yang Hansen and third-year guard Scoot Henderson.
Lillard also expressed his optimism for the future of the team and said he always kept up with how the organization was growing despite the distance.
The Blazers will open the season at Moda Center on October 22, 2025 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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Emma Watkins
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