Damian Lillard Received A Monster Ovation From Blazers Fans In His Return To Portland

For the first time in his NBA career, Damian Lillard played a game in Portland as a member of the visiting team. Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks took on the Blazers in the Moda Center on Wednesday night, which marked Lillard’s return to the city after the offseason trade that sent him to the Eastern Conference.

Prior to the start of the game, Blazers fans were given the opportunity to express their appreciation for arguably the greatest player in franchise history. Lillard got introduced as a member of Milwaukee’s starting lineup, which led to a gigantic ovation from the Blazers fans in attendance.

And during a first quarter stoppage in play, the team aired a tribute video looking back on some of Lillard’s finest moment as a Blazer.

Lillard spent the first 11 years of his career in Portland, as the team selected him sixth overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. At the start of free agency this past summer, Lillard officially requested a trade, and while his preferred landing spot was the Miami Heat, Portland’s front office slow played things before agreeing to a deal with the Bucks in September. It was a three-team deal that involved the Phoenix Suns, and led to Milwaukee parting ways a package that included Jrue Holiday and its unprotected 2029 first-round pick.

Ahead of Wednesday night’s game, Lillard was averaging 25.1 points, 6.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 35.2 minutes per game for the 2-seed in the Eastern Conference.