Damian Lillard’s emotional return to Portland Trail Blazers: ‘Never felt right’

At his re-introduction, Lillard said it never felt right leaving Portland. The All-Star will spend 2025-26 rehabbing before returning.

PORTLAND, Ore. — It’s official: Damian Lillard is a Blazer once more.

General Manager Joe Cronin announced July 18 that Lillard has been signed to a multi-year contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he was originally selected No. 6 overall in the 2012 NBA Draft. At Monday’s re-introduction news conference, both Lillard and team officials emphasized the homecoming felt right for everyone involved.

“It never felt right seeing Damian in a different jersey,” Cronin said during the Monday evening news conference at the Moda Center. “We’re really excited, of course, to bring him back to Portland and put him in that red and black.”

For Lillard, the decision was simple once the opportunity arose.

“It never felt right not being home,” Lillard said. “Through it all, I found my way back and just fortunate to be back with the group that I was with prior to leaving.”

The emotional reunion came together quickly once Lillard was released by Milwaukee. Cronin said that once they learned Lillard was leaving the Bucks, “it all happened pretty smooth and organically.”

“Chauncey and I sat down with him a few times and had some really good conversations,” Cronin explained. “A lot of talking about goals and what the Trail Blazers are trying to accomplish, what he’s trying to accomplish and seeing if those goals aligned.”

Head Coach Chauncey Billups shared the excitement about Lillard’s return, calling it “a happy day for all of us.”

“We obviously never wanted to see him go. And even when he did, we all wanted to see him back,” Billups said. “I always just believe that things happen how they’re supposed to.”

Last week, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the team’s all-time leading scorer was signing a three-year, $42 million contract to return to Portland, almost two years after Lillard was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Lillard had also confirmed his return on social media, sharing a video panning across the Trail Blazers’ locker room, ending with Lillard’s nameplate and a “Together Again” message with Lillard’s signature.

The decision was particularly meaningful for Lillard’s family. He shared how he told his children about the move over the weekend after officially signing.

“I got to 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 the airplane to Milwaukee no more?'” Lillard recalled. “I was like, ‘Yeah, like y’all don’t gotta 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 [excited].”

In 11 seasons with the Trail Blazers, Lillard averaged 25.2 points, 6.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. In the past two seasons with the Bucks, he averaged 24.6 points, 7.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds.

Lillard won’t be playing right away, instead spending the 2025-26 season rehabbing a torn Achilles tendon. The plan is for him to return to the court for Portland the following season.

“I expect to return to form,” Lillard said confidently. “With this injury, a lot of the people that I’ve spoke to that have experienced the injury and come back from it, a lot of the surgeons that I spoke to, a lot of the PT’s that I’ve spoken to have shared a lot of information with me and a lot of it was encouraging.”

Cronin emphasized the organization will be patient with Lillard’s recovery.

“We’re going to do what’s best for Dame,” Cronin said. “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.”

During his rehabilitation year, Lillard will take on a mentorship role with the team’s young players, particularly guards Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.

“I told him that this year he’s going to be the highest paid assistant coach in league history because I’ll be putting them to work every day,” Billups joked.

Lillard embraced that role, saying his investment in the team “will be the same as if I was playing.”

“With this being a younger team, it’s a lot of things that I can share,” Lillard said. “One thing that I’ve missed over the last two years playing on the older team is I’m able to be more and give more when I have something to pour into.”

While family played a role in his return, Lillard emphasized this was equally a basketball decision.

“This was just as much a basketball decision,” Lillard said. “Looking at how the league is transitioning and how it’s changing, it’s young teams that guard and that have depth and that compete that are connected. And this team has all of those things.”

Portland fans rejoiced over the news, welcoming the return of the beloved nine-time All-Star selection and seven-time All-NBA selection.

With Lillard, the Blazers had made the playoffs in eight of Lillard’s seasons, advancing to the Western Conference Finals in 2019 and the Western Conference Semifinals in 2016 and 2014. He also won a Gold Medal with the United States Men’s National Team at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

KGW’s Amy-Xiaoshi DePaola contributed to the reporting of this story.