2025 Damian Lillard Introductory Press Conference | Portland Trail Blazers

2025 Damian Lillard Introductory Press Conference | Portland Trail Blazers

That’s why she said watch the If you have any questions, raise your hand and we have some mics on each side. We are going to start with our general manager Joe. Welcome everybody. Thank you for coming. Great crowd. Um, great day in Portland. Want to, you know, you got three really happy guys up here. This is, you know, awesome news for the Trailblazers organization, for the city of Portland, for the Pacific Northwest. It’s a it’s a happy day. Um, I had a former Trailblazer text me right after the news broke. He said, “Everything’s right in the NBA again.” And I just smiled and nodded and it was like, “Yeah, I mean, it is. It never felt right seeing Damen in a different jersey.” And you know, we’re really excited, of course, to bring him back to Portland and put him in that red and black. So, you know, we’ll get into a few opening statements and answer any questions you have, but just really thankful to Dame for trusting in us, for believing in us, and for coming back. So, send it over to Chanty. Uh yeah, same thing for me really. Um this is a happy day for all of us. Um really, really excited to have uh to have Dane back, you know. Um, it’s been a process. I think if we’re all being honest, um, we obviously never wanted to see him go and even when he did, um, we all wanted to see him back. So, it worked out perfect. I always just believe that things happen out there supposed to. Um, and unfortunately, he’s hurt right now and he’ll be back as good as ever, you know, if you know anything about him. So, we’re really excited about that. Um, I told him that this year he’s going to be uh he’s going to be the highest paid assistant coach in league history because I’m’ll be putting him to work every day. So, we’re really excited. We’re really happy um to have our guy back. Go ahead. Uh, for me personally, uh, well, first I want to thank Joe and I want to thank Chanty because, um, you know, obviously for this to even be possible, we all had to be on the same page about it. Um, but like they like they both said, um, it never felt right not being home. And um you know through through it all I found my way back and um uh just fortunate to be back with the group that I was with prior to leaving um to be a part of a a great situation at home. Um and I’m just excited, you know, and really really thankful and appreciative of um the door being open for me to come back um even with me being hurt. And uh you know, it means a lot to me to not only play for this organization again. Um, I never wanted to not be playing for this organization. Um, but to be back in this community, you know, that I’m most familiar with, um, the familiar faces, all of the things that I’ve been connected to, even during the time that I wasn’t playing here the last two years. So, um, it all just feels right. Um, you know, usually when I have to make a decision, I I put a lot of thought into it. I asked a lot of questions to the people around me, but this was a um a decision that wasn’t hard at all for me to make. And um you know, the people that I know love me and care about me, um it was a a easy um piece of advice for them to give. It was easy for them to, you know, to support. So, um like I said, I’m just thankful to to be back. Um and it just feels like the the perfect situation at the perfect time. So, I’m just happy to be back. Brena Green, Coinstick Sports. Uh, Damen, if I would have told you two years ago you would be sitting here right now doing this press conference. What would have your reaction been? I probably would have I probably would have been like, I don’t know. You know, that’s a little in just two years, I probably wouldn’t have believed it. Um, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect this to happen at some point, but um, for it to happen this soon, I wasn’t expecting this. Uh, for for Damon, for Joe, uh, Mike Richmond, uh, can you talk about the process of kind of how this came together? Uh, when did you guys start talking about it? What did what did sort of the conversations look like and the meetings look like that led to this happening? Um once we learned um Dame was leaving the Bucks, you know, it all happened pretty smooth and organically. Chanty and I sat down with him a few times and had some really good conversations. You know, a lot of you know, talking about goals and, you know, what the Trailblazers are trying to accomplish, what he’s trying to accomplish, and seeing if those, you know, goals aligned. And I think we knew very early on that those goals were very similar. And the key thing there was just work out a deal and let’s get this done. And it was really that smooth. Lindsay Schnell, the athletic Dame, I’m curious, can you tell us how you told your kids that you were coming home um and what their reaction is? I’m guessing Dame Junior’s old enough to like really get it. The twins might have been a little confused. They um they’re all old enough to to pick up on it now, especially Dame Jr., But I didn’t say nothing to him about it until Saturday when I actually signed and they were with me and um we got back in the car to to go home. And um I just I got to a a red light and I just turned around and my daughter was looking at me and I told her and she was like, “Wait, so like we don’t have to get on an airplane to Milwaukee no more?” I was like, “Yeah, like y’all don’t got to go y’all don’t got to get on the plane no more?” And she was like, “So you’re going to be at your house in Portland the whole time?” I was like, “Yeah.” And she was like, “What?” Like she was and then her brothers was kind of listening to that that back and forth and they, you know, they were all extremely excited. So, um, I saved it for when I knew it was it was official. With with the Oregonian, Dame, what expectation are you setting for yourself after this year of rehab? What kind of player do you expect to be in 2026? Uh, I mean, I think it’s obviously a a tough injury, but um, me personally, I I know how I’m going to approach the whole rehab process, taking my time. Um, a lot of trust in the the people around me, a lot of trust in the surgeon that I went to. We’ve stayed connected. Um, and I think I’m a return to form. That’s that’s just my true belief. I I think I’ll return to form. I think uh with this injury, a lot of the people that I’ve spoke to that have experienced the injury and come back for it, a lot of the the surgeons that I spoke to, a lot of the PTs that I’ve spoken to um have shared a lot of information with me and um a lot of it was encouraging for me. Um and I know what what my assignment is to um to make that happen and that’s what I’ve been focused on doing. So um it’s a a pretty slow process. That’s why I’m taking the next season to make sure that I check every box and that I don’t rush especially at my age. Um, but I expect to return to form and Rose Garden. This would be for I guess both Joe and Dame. Is there any possibility at all that Dame plays this upcoming season or is it understanding that this is just a rehab year? We’re going to do what’s best for Dane. And you know, never say never in this world, but all that matters is him coming back to form. And that’ll take as long as it takes. And we won’t go a second faster than that. My prideful my prideful self would be thinking differently, but I think at with age you get wiser. And um like Joe said, it’s going to be, you know, ultimately what’s best. And I think um to take the as much time as possible to make sure that I’m right, that’s what that’s what I’ll do. Dan Carres. Uh so assuming you don’t play this next season, what will your role be? What will you do as far as the team on hands and that sort of thing? And then what do you do what role do you expect to play when you do get back? Um, I think not playing, just um, wanting to still have an impact on the team and still be present with the team. I think when you’ve been around the league for as long as I have and you know, you’ve had as much experience as I’ve had on the floor every day in practice, um, just being in this league and, um, having a significant role, it’s a lot to share. Um it’s a lot that um you just you need time to learn in the NBA. A lot of things you just learn over um your amount of time. And with this being a younger team, it’s a lot of things that I can share, you know, without having to be on the floor. Um and I think that’ll be my main uh job this year. Like Chanty said, I’m basically going to be like an assistant coach. So, I’ll be around and um you know, my investment in the team will be the same as if I was playing as far as like my time and um where my energy is placed. And um you know, I think once I’m playing, it’ll be the same. One thing that I’ve missed um over the last two years playing on an older team is I’m able to to be more and give more when I have something to pour into, you know, when I’m able to be invested in um others careers more, being around younger players. So, with this team, I’ll have plenty of opportunity to do that, especially um having a young rising point guard like Scoop that I’m going to be, you know, playing with now and Tummani and Denny. um and Shaden who I was with his rookie year. So just being around those guys and having so much to share and being able to pour into them and be a part of you know their continued progress is something that um elevates me as a player and as a teammate and as a leader. So um you know I’m looking forward to that as well even when I’m playing. Danny Morang 1051 the fan. In your previous tenure you were a flag bearer not only for the team but the city the organization all of it. just kind of what are your thoughts on being that right now as the team’s up for sale and Adam Silver’s comments about the preference of staying in Portland and it’s the the pride and thoughts that you’ve had of being that guy and being that guy again. Uh I the the city of Portland and the the Trailblazers as an organization is just important to me. Um it’s never been something that I have had to try and go out and do, you know, and make myself something. It’s just how I feel and I go off of, you know, what my true feelings are. So, um, it was always genuine for my the first 11 years of my career and it was also always organic. You know, I never had to go out of my way to do something or make something appear to be a certain way. And I think this will this will be the same. You know, I don’t need to um try to announce myself as that or anything. I just operate as myself. And um, that’s always been good enough. And I think especially at this stage in my career, you know, I think it’ll it’ll remain the same. Casey Holdall, trailblazers.com. Um, Dame and and Chanty. Uh, Dame, could you speak, you did this now, but could you speak a little more about kind of your thoughts on the team is currently constructed, particularly how it’s maybe different from the team that that you were on your last season here? And Chanty, I know it’s probably kind of early, but have you thought at all about how you’re going to use Dame once he is able to get back out there? Should I go first? You Why don’t you go first, D? Um, I think one thing that, um, when we all sat down and, you know, this idea kind of started to move towards me signing back here, um, I obviously I’m a look at the basketball situation. You know, I’m not, we play basketball and you want to win basketball games. So, a lot of people, you know, may look at it as a family decision and it obviously anybody would have their family be a part of a decision that they make, but this was just as much a basketball decision. Um, I’ve watched the team even at a distance. You know, I followed and um stayed in touch with what was going on and um looking at how the league is transitioning and how it’s changing. You know, it’s not the same old thing no more. There’s young teams that guard and that have depth and that compete, that are connected, and this team has all of those things, you know. Um maybe because it’s Portland, people may not um be willing to say it, but you know, all of it’s all there, you know, from the talent to the depth to um having it on both sides of the ball, it’s all there. And um that’s something that I believed in when I looked into a decision like this. So the the personal part, the family, the basketball, um the fact that this opportunity came unexpected, you know, being waved. Um it just felt like the like I said, it just felt like the perfect timing and the perfect um opportunity. What you ask me again, man? D Oh, yeah. Uh yeah, that that’s a that’s a long way from now, you know. Um, obviously I’m I’m more excited right now to just to have Dane back. Um, and like he said, just pouring into our young guys. You know, I want to see Scoop and Shaden take a step this year. You know, um, of course, you know, I coach these guys very hard, but it’s always different when you’re getting that that that that mentorship and that tulage from a guy that wears a jersey and to have Dame and have Drew and have these guys pouring into him. I’m really really excited about that. Um, and then when we get to that point, we we get there, you know. But I’m really excited um about what we’ve been able to do this summer and what our team looks like right now. And when Dame is able to come back, we’ll be, of course, we’ll be super ready uh for him. But I’m really not even thinking about a year from now, you know, I’m thinking about this year. Hey Damen. Um, Annie Peterson from AP. Um, you know, you said it was also a basketball decision, but how much did being with your kids in the same city factor into your decision? How much did that mean to you? Uh, it it meant a lot. I mean, it’s it’s my kids. So, um, it only made it that much sweeter. But um to that same point um even when I wasn’t here, I’ve created a situation where I can still be with my kids as often as possible. So um like I said, that was part of it. You know, I’m a it’s well documented that I’m a a family guy and when you have kids, that’s that’s even more so the case, you know, um once you have kids of your own. So obviously that’s a um a part of that. You know, it makes it that much better. But um the same is to be said about, you know, basketball and what I’ve always wanted to accomplish in a trailblazer uniform and now looking at the team and it in my opinion being positioned to do um you know what I’ve always wanted to have opportunity to do. Interesting. My question is mainly for Joe. Um, how do you go through the next 15 months in terms of trying to build this thing, make moves knowing that Dame’s going to be coming online in in 2026? And do you feel that sense of, you know, urgency to try and put something together that maybe can make a run when you failed to do that last time? We’re really, really excited about the steps we’ve taken so far. And we know we have a really good player coming, you know, a year from now. And I think our challenge this year is to keep getting better and keep prepping to take that next step. And once Dame gets back, he’s going to catapult us even further. You know, we’re going to keep doing this the way we’ve done it. We’re going to develop our guys. We’re going to get better and better. We’re going to be opportunistic in trades. Um we’re going to keep recruiting in free agency and, you know, go into next summer with plenty of ammunition to keep getting better. And that’s a goal. Like it’s it’s winning time now for the Trailblazers. Chanty and I have been saying that all year last season. And that’s what this is. And you know how we go about that, we’ll we’ll figure it out as we keep taking our steps. Dame Nick Ky from KPTV. We heard about the joy in your kids’ faces, but in that stoplight, that moment, you’re not flying back in Milwaukee. As a dad, what was that moment for you to be able to actually tell them and have a relief of, “Yeah, I’m here. We’re here together.” It was a It was a great moment. I think um I never been somebody that just get overly excited or I don’t express myself that way. I might the inside it might be a whole lot going on but on the outside you might not always be able to see it. But I think in that moment it was just a a great feeling for me. Not only just sharing that moment with my kids, but just I’m pulling up to a familiar stoplight, you know, right here at Bridgeport and I know my way around here. So, just knowing that, you know, I’mma be back home, you know, for all parts of my life, you know, with my kids, playing for the Trailblazers, driving on the same streets that I’ve driven on pretty much my entire adulthood. Um, my whole family being here, my mom, my brother, my sisters, all my friends around the city of Portland. Um, you know, all of those things count. And um like I said, I wasn’t expecting it to happen so soon, you know, so the fact that everything worked out the way it did, you know, even though some of it was unfortunate, um the fact that it happened and you know, all of these these things was able to come to life, you know, I was real thankful for that. So, um it was a lot of emotion in that moment for my kids, but for myself as well. Orlando Sanchez, KJWTV. Uh Dame, just there’s been a a buzz around the city since it became official. What has the feedback been from this fan base and what does it mean to be embraced the way that you are in the city? It means a lot. You know, I I think it was something that I never wanted to happen to begin with. You know, even once it was like I knew I was being traded, like I don’t know if I ever let it go. you know, it was hard to to let go just the love that I I have for Portland, you know, the community, the organization, everything. You know, it was a hard time. So, um I think over the course of my career, all of the fans, you know, everybody throughout the community, I think they’ve always known that it was like genuine coming from me, you know, by my actions um and not by words. So, I think when I when it was announced that I was coming back, I think those were the emotions, you know, it was it wasn’t just about basketball. I think it was everything and, you know, people just happy and excited to have me back. you know, just um as a presence and as a person, you know, representing this city and the organization. And um I think that, you know, as a man, I think that just that means more than anything, you know, when people respect who you are and and what you bring to the table um on top of who you are as a as a player. And that’s what that, you know, them embracing me that way felt like. Uh Dame, when you left, uh at least from my perception, it seemed like you weren’t a big fan of Joe Cronin. Um how did that relationship change? Uh and and and when did it change? Like when did it change for you that this is someone you want to play for and work with again? Um I think toward the end, I think it was a lot of um misunderstandings and and miscommunication. And when it when something like that comes up, you know, it’s people are hurt, you know, is I’m not saying nothing and then I’m seeing things that was said by me, you know, and now I’m looking at things sideways. So, um I think more than anything, it was miscommunication and and misunderstandings and um Joe and I never sat down and talked about that. you know, it just kind of sat out there and it we let it be what it was. And I think that was the mistake. But, um, I wouldn’t say I was when I left, I just was not a big fan of Joe. Me and Joe had a great relationship, you know, the entire time before he became GM and while he was GM, but I think at that time, you know, it was it was a hard time, you know, like I was moving on and things were being said, like I said, so it was more a misunderstanding than anything. And um the last game that we played here, you know, I went over before the game and I said hello to Joe. I said hello to Jody. And um for me um I really wanted them to know that it was, you know, no hard feelings. You know, when that during that time when it was happening, um sometimes when you emotional, you handle things from a a position of protecting yourself and not knowing what’s going on, you know, on the other side. And then over time you you calm down and you figure it out. And you know I’m not a kid. So you know that wasn’t hard for me to do. And it honestly wasn’t a even after that it wasn’t a long conversation to to move past that. And I think that was because we never had a a bad relationship or it was never a you know a dislike or um us not being a fan of each other like you said. Dame, the Achilles can be such a devastating injury and especially mentally for players. Did you go through the the the like self-pity, why me phase of that? And how does being back here maybe help with and and and being and having and having the resources you have by being on the team here too, not just rehabbing here. Um, how is that going to help you through what is, as you’ve said, an extremely long road ahead? Uh, I mean, I literally after I tore my Achilles and I felt it and I was sitting on the floor, I grabbed it and I rolled over and I sat up and the first thought that I had to myself was like, I’m about to come back from an Achilles. That was literally my first thought like on my on my kids. That was the first thing I thought of. And we got to the back and when the doctor said, “You tore your Achilles.” Like, I think everybody else had more pity for me than I did. Like I had the PTS like, you know, about to cry and all of that stuff. Like I didn’t cry. Even when I got by myself, I didn’t cry. Um, and it wasn’t like a prideful thing. I just my mind automatically went to like, you know, I I got to fight for something. You know, I know it’s going to be a long journey. I know it’s a challenge mentally. And I kind of shifted right there um to what I knew was coming. And then it was, you know, just kind of learning more about it, you know, talking to Aaron Rogers and KD and Rudy Gay, you know, all these guys that experienced it and handled it differently. Um, but I never I never had that moment of like pity or any of those things with with none of my injuries, honestly. Um, but this one I know is like the probably the biggest one of my career. And um, like you said, it’s a mental battle, but you know, if it’s a I don’t I don’t lose those. If it’s a mental battle, I don’t those battles that I don’t lose. If it’s physical, it’s possible, but um a mental battle, I’m just not going just not going to lose. Ty Smith, uh K2 News. Uh Dame, I got a question. When you left in 2023, you know, there were some of those team members that you kind of were familiar with and now that you played against them a couple of times, how comfortable does this group make you that when you do return next season, you guys are going to be competing for some hardware? I mean, just playing against them, but um more than anything watching them, you know, I was able to watch a lot of games. Like, we played um if I played a 7:00 game, by the time I would get home, it would be, you know, the West Coast games coming on. So, I caught a lot of the games. And like I said, I watch closely and um you know, I I watch the Trailblazers specifically to and I’m always looking like how do I how do I fit in? That’s just my natural way of thinking because to me, this is like my team. Like this is who I I’ve always seen myself with. So I watched it with that type of mentality even if it was to never happen. Um, and I saw how they competed, you know, I saw how they cheered for each other on the bench, you know, regardless of who was finishing the game. um how they shared the ball. You know, one game I might see Shay go crazy, then it might be Ant against us, and then, you know, Denny might have a five game stretch where he killing, and I’m just looking like, man, this is a this is one of those teams that’s coming along, you know, and like I said before, those same old teams are kind of aging out and you, you know, you see OKC just won it this year and you see Indiana snuck in there and made a run and then you see like New York, you know, it’s a lot of these younger teams, Houston, San Antonio, that’s kind of like moving in. And even during the season, you know, I was telling my cousin that live with me, like I was putting the Blazers in that same that same category, you know, even though they’re not one of these teams that people want to say it about. Um, because I watched so many games, I could see what was happening and, you know, that’s that’s how I viewed the team. Dame, can you just confirm how old your kids are now? I think Dame Jr. is seven and the twins are almost four. Dame Junior is seven and the twins are four. Yeah. Yeah. And has um Dame Jr. now that you’re going to be home full-time, I assume he has started playing basketball, asked you if you’ll be his coach on the sideline. I’ll be his coach. Yeah. Now you’re home full time and I’m not going to be a a dad coach. I’mma just with my kids like I don’t put no like pressure on them to try to be a basketball player. I didn’t love playing basketball until I was like in the fourth or fifth grade. So it wasn’t forced on me and and I made it to the NBA. So um I don’t force it on him. I just kind of let him find his way as Sonic and Dinosaurs and Roblox and all of that stuff. And I let him, you know, I let him find it on his own. Um, my daughter is actually more of a competitor athlete, you know, think she can do everything. So, um, I think that’s the one that I may end up coaching someday cuz that’s that’s probably the one. But as of now, I just let them let them be kids, you know, and um, that’s it. We are good to go. Appreciate y’all coming.

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