Damian Lillard Media Availability | July 23, 2025 | Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard Media Availability | July 23, 2025 | Portland Trail Blazers

I mean, obviously you have the reception that you kind of see online, but seeing the reception from the kids over the last day, what what has that been like? Uh, I mean, it’s it’s been great. You know, they’ve had a lot of energy. Um, and just excited. You know, a lot of them soon as I walked in yesterday, it was like, “My bad. I mean, it’s your mic. I’m out of practice.” Um, they all walked up and was like, “Man, you back. You back.” You know, so um, they was all excited about it. um last year when I did camp and I wasn’t on the team and that was like the main question they all kept asking like are you going to come back? Are you going to come back and I didn’t see it happening this soon. So I was like maybe one day but uh you know it happened a lot sooner. So um they have been excited. Jersey day today but pretty cool to see a lot of kids kept that letter O in the black and red man. Yeah I mean uh you know it’s not like I was here for a year or two. Um you know a lot of these kids have had these jerseys for a long time. Um so I mean it’s it wasn’t a surprise but I think um due to the circumstances a lot of them you know have worn their jerseys today and making sure this camp is still accessible for so many too. Your respect schools got scholarships kids here BPI special Olympics here with the unified partners. Why is that important to you to still make this an accessible camp for so many kids come in here? Uh because I I want it to uh be the type of experience that all kids can remember. you know, I know um everybody isn’t fortunate enough to afford what it costs, but I mean, the the camp coaches that we hire, the time that we put into it, um I’m here all day, you know, we got to be able to uh compensate people um properly so that they invest into it the way I want them to for it to be a quality camp. So, um even with that being said, I still want um it to be accessible, like you said, for for everybody. So, we we do a lot of scholarships like you said, um, Black Parent Initiative, SEI, um, through my respect program. Um, and many other people that I just might know somebody that knows somebody that want their kid to come to camp and I might just have at least 20 kids where I’m like, just bring them and when they check in, I’ll be out in the back and I’ll just get them on the list and get them on the team. So, I mean, we do a lot of that stuff so that all kids are, you know, able to have the experience. How tough is it for you to this year not be able to participate in some of the onc court stuff with the kids because of the injury? Uh, I mean it’s it’s different because I’m usually just so involved. You know, I demonstrate a lot of the drills. Um, a lot of times it’s a a segment with me specifically for about an hour or two toward the end of camp where I’m able to get on the court and show them specific things and I kind of do it in a way where like I’m working out in front of them. Um, I think another big part of camp is like I usually get here at 7 o’clock and when they all come in, I’m toward the end of my workout and they get to see my last 30 minutes. So, it’s just um not doing so much talking and demonstrating, but they are able to see a real example, you know, of how I train and what I put into it. So, um those parts of it haven’t I haven’t been able to do, but um you know, I still think it’s a lot of ways that that I can make it a quality camp still. Does this year’s camp make it uh you know this year’s iteration? Does it make it a little bit more special considering you back in a Trailblazers uniform? I mean, what’s the feeling like considering you actually back in town as a player? I mean, honestly, it was only one camp that I wasn’t in a Trailblazer uniform. It was like one summer that I wasn’t on the team. Um, but I think it it makes it special just because of like I said everything that’s taken place over the last week, you know, just um being back here after being here for over a decade and then kind of being on a new team for two years and it being so unexpected. You know, all every part of the whole situation was just unexpected and um it just happened so fast that you know, even the parents and uh outside of the the campers are just like you can just feel the energy. you know, the people are excited and more than anything just happy, you know, to to have me back here. That video of you walking into the locker room has gone pretty viral. Can you just kind of explain the emotions that were going through you as as you walked in there? Yeah, it was just a it was just a great feeling, you know, it it felt very familiar. Um I don’t know, in my adulthood, I haven’t had it’s been pretty consistent, you know, pretty stable in everything that I’ve done. Um, so like being here for so long and then being in Milwaukee for 2 years and it just wasn’t, you know, that type of feeling. You know, I had a a good two years, you know, a great organization. Um, everything was done proper and, you know, it was it was a a good situation. Um, I think it just wasn’t what my full uh adulthood and my career had been. You know, like this is where I built my life and my home and everything. So, walking back through those doors and walking back to my locker was just like, you know, these types of things just don’t happen in the NBA. So, um, having that experience, you know, I, you know, I don’t I wouldn’t say I was overwhelmed, but I was like, I guess, um, feeling a lot of emotions because of that, you know, like, man, this really I never wanted to leave to begin with. So now that it’s happening like this, it was just like, man, this is is almost too good to be true. Has this felt like a crazy busy week for you going from the signing to the presser to the camp the very next day? Yeah, it like I said, it all happened really fast. And um you know, I I feel like by the time I get home, the last three or four days, it’s like almost time to go to bed. You know, I got to put my kids down, eat, take a shower, and then I get in my bed and I want to watch TV or something, but I just end up sleep. and then the next day is here and I got to get going again. So, I haven’t really even had the time to kind of sit back and even take in everything that’s taking place. So, um days day happening fast right now. The number one thing that I think fans have wanted to know since the news broke that you were coming back, are you going to get out to the coast finally? What’s funny is I was uh doing I was doing rehab and uh my PT who I’ve been with for years, he was like talking about going out to the coast and with his wife and all of that. And I was just like I guess now that like it happened this way, I guess I should probably get out to the coast and just have that experience since I haven’t done it yet. So I’m I’m definitely planning on doing it. I might as well. So, uh, one thing we didn’t get to at the press conference, uh, your thoughts on Drew Holiday and that signing and and being a teammate of his after playing against him so many times. Man, I that’s one of the things that I’m extremely excited about. Um, because I think obviously I’m going to bring experience and leadership and um, just a vet who’s been on the floor. you know, I’ve done it um for a long time, but being able to to play alongside another guard that’s similar, you know, has won two championships. Um has a lot of experience. He’s been an all-star in the NBA. He’s been around a long time. Um and his personality, you know, who he is, I think it’ll be great for the team. Um especially combined with what I’ll bring to the team, uh because of those same reasons. And I remember when he was leaving New Orleans, like me and him tried to we talked about him coming here. Like that was like a a real discussion. Like we was like trying hard. Um so I’ve always been a a fan of Drew. I’ve always wanted to play with him. I think we’ll um play well beside each other. And um you know once he came here I was like man he was like can I wear your number? But he was joking. I was like no you can’t wear my number. Um, and it was just like a joke. But then like as soon as I was waved and um, obviously he knows that I live here and um, built my home here and stuff. So he just like sent me the eyeball emoji and I kind of knew already like I already knew where I was pivoting to when he sent it, but I just didn’t want to say nothing too soon. And um, here we are. So, and you played with him on the Olympic team, too. Yeah. Correct me wrong, wasn’t he the one that told you you had to get the core surgery? Wasn’t he the one that was like he had that? And yeah, we we talked about it like um during the Olympics cuz I was trying to explain to everybody cuz I couldn’t practice once we got to Tokyo cuz it was just killing me. And um he was just like, “Yeah, like you it’s going to stay that way.” Like we talked about it for like every day we’ sit there and talk about it and um that was kind of what pushed me to say like, “All right, I’m gonna eventually I’m gonna have to do it.” Not surprising after that Pelican series that you were interested in teaming up with him because man I still got a lot of a lot of feelings about that one. Yeah, that was like one of the more like hurtful moments of my career, you know, just like ultimately it was a moment that um you know I had already been an all-star a few times. Um and I think I was first team that year actually. I think I was first team all NBA that year. But um that was a turning point in my career where you know you reach that point where it’s like are you going to take another step and you know make another leap or are you just going to like stay in that that space and um I made my mind up and I did you know all of the things that I need to do and the next year I you know made another jump but that series and that moment definitely played a significant part in me you know growing a little bit more after that. There was one more. There was a report that you actually reached out to Drew after he got traded to Portland and spoke like fondly of the franchise. Is Is that true? And what was that conversation like? Yeah, he was um cuz when I lived in Milwaukee, I rented his house for two years. So I actually had been renting his house for the last two years. So we talked a lot. Like I was complaining to him about the Wi-Fi. Like it’s a clip online of like I shake his hand. we played them in Boston and we stood we had an interaction and people was like well and we was literally talking about his Wi-Fi at his house. So um he reached out just about like areas like to to live in and stuff like that and um a little bit about the organization and I you know I told him like I love port I live in Portland. My family’s in Portland. Um, and it’s it’s a place when people come here to play, they just it’s probably raining. They here for a night, you know, it’s gray skies. You don’t really see much. I was like, but it’s I mean, I’m from California and I’ve been living here for the last 13 years. So, I mean, I think once you get here and you get on the ground, you know, you you learn to to like it or love it in my case. So, um, that was kind of what I shared with them. Thank

𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗠 » http://www.instagram.com/trailblazers
𝗧𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 » http://www.twitter.com/trailblazers
𝗧𝗜𝗞𝗧𝗢𝗞 » https://www.tiktok.com/@trailblazers
𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 » http://www.facebook.com/trailblazers

🖥️ Visit our website for the latest news, videos, podcasts, photos and more: http://www.trailblazers.com
🎙️ Listen to Trail Blazers podcasts: http://www.trailblazers.com/podcasts
📺 Watch Trail Blazers games on Root Sports https://northwest.rootsports.com/trail-blazers
🏀 Subscribe to NBA League Pass: https://rip.city/LeaguePass
📲 Download the Trail Blazers mobile app: https://www.nba.com/blazers/app
🎟️ Buy game tickets: https://www.nba.com/blazers/single-game-tickets?utm_source=youtube
👕 Rip City Clothing : https://ripcityclothing.com/