Exclusive: Damian Lillard talks injury rehab, legacy, retiring with the Trail Blazers

By D.J. Siddiqi

It's no secret that Damian Lillard is happy to be back as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers.

The 35-year-old guard rejoined the Blazers after two years spent with the Milwaukee Bucks, and the nine-time All-Star has not hidden the fact that he's excited to be back in Portland where it all began.

"It means a lot because a big part of my legacy is loyalty," Lillard told Casino.ca in an exclusive interview. “Obviously spending 11 years to start my career in Portland, and never wanting to leave Portland until things happen in professional sports. I was on a different team for two years, but never in my heart did I really want to be away from here.

“For all of the things that took place, and for me to be able to come back and be a part of this organization again, and be reunited with my family and friends and my kids that have been in Portland the last couple years, it's just brought a lot of joy and happiness to my life."

One of the key words that Lillard mentioned in our conversation was about his "legacy." There are a lot of things that he connects with the term, including his personality, who he is, the local initiatives that are important to him, and also what he's done on the court.

"It also has given me an opportunity to reconnect with other things that are part of my legacy like the RESPECT campaign," Lillard said. "A lot of the initiatives that are here locally that I've had a major impact on and continue to expand on that. Ultimately joining a better team in Portland than the one that I left a few years back, and have an opportunity to add to that part of my legacy. All around it's just been exciting to be back."

Lillard shares late-career goals

Lillard won't be playing this season as he recovers from an Achilles injury, which means his official return date in Portland won't happen until the 2026-27 season.

The Blazers are not a championship contender, but they have some nice young building blocks like first-time All-Star Deni Avidja, who is averaging 24.4 points per game this season as the team's leading scorer.

Shaedon Sharpe -- who is 22 years old -- is also averaging 21.4 points per game. The Blazers are 31-34 and sit in 10th place in the Western Conference. The franchise is looking for its first playoff appearance since the 2020-21 season, when Lillard led Portland to the postseason.

"The number one thing would be winning a championship," Lillard said of his rest-of-career goals. "I think I've done just about everything in my career minus that. That would just be the thing that I would say I would really want to have.

“Obviously, I've come close a few times in the MVP race. I would like to get to double digit All-Star games. I think I'm sitting at nine right now. I would like to at least get to 10. I think that'd be a good round number to get. It'll happen. Like I said -- championship, get to double digit All-Star games, maybe get another all-NBA nod. And really just continue to do me."

Lillard has ‘stayed connected’ during injury rehab

With the exception of the 35-year-old Jrue Holiday, there is only one player on the Blazers' roster that is over the age of 30 in Jerami Grant. That means Lillard is easily the oldest player on the team alongside Holiday.

The veteran guard said he talks a lot to his younger teammates and spends time at the facility while rehabbing his injury.

"I'm at practices every day, I'm at all the home games, I'm going on some of the road trips," Lillard said. "I'm in the locker room with them, the team events, all of those things. I've definitely kept connected to the team. I try not to just be the veteran guy on the team that's always having something to say. I do a lot of listening, and when guys have questions for me, I'll share what I think or what I see. I've definitely stayed connected to the team for sure."

Lillard: I’ll come back with an ‘edge’ next season

The season-long absence for Lillard has given him a greater appreciation for the game. This is the most serious injury Lillard has suffered in his career, with an abdominal injury that limited him to just 29 games during the 2021-22 season being the other serious injury of his NBA career.

"I've had injuries," Lillard said. "There's none that had me sidelined for a full season, so it's definitely different. But it's given me the time that I think at this point in my life, that I needed. Now I'll be extremely excited to play, I'll have that edge. I'll have that joy, and this also has given me my body a full break from full-time traveling games, back-to-backs. That is hard on your body.

"Having a year off is like adding a year to my career," Lillard continued to say. "Being able to drop my kids off at school, pick them up from school, go to basketball games, soccer games, drop them off at tutoring, go to swim class. All of these things I've been at every day, every week in my relationship. The time that I'm getting with my kids has been great for me with my family. It's been great for me.”

Lillard is looking at this season off due to injury very optimistically, saying that he wants to be back to being the best version of himself. The veteran guard was an All-Star during the 2024-25 season when he averaged 24.9 points per game with the Bucks.

"I think it's all just building me up to get ready to go back and be the best version of myself when it's time to play again," Lillard said. "It is hard to watch and not be able to do what I've done for the last 14 years, but because of the age that it happened at, I understand the value in what I'm going through right now, and it's my job to to also be making sure that I'm prepared when the time comes to go out there and be me."

Lillard: I plan to retire as a Trail Blazer

When the topic of Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury is brought up and how he has mentioned how the toughest part of overcoming it is the mental aspect, Lillard agreed with that notion.

"I would agree with that," Lillard said. "You want to check every box and you have never experienced it before. You don't know what it's supposed to feel like when you know it's just absolutely okay. You're kind of timid a little bit in your head about each thing. Even when you're doing stuff hard, you still are overly aware of each step and each thing that you do. I do think that's probably the hardest part, just the mental part of it. Not as far as what you can or can't do, but just actually trusting it, without thinking about it at all."

Lillard made it clear he wants to end things in Portland. He began his NBA career with the Blazers in 2012 and said he would like to end it with the Blazers.

However, he doesn't have a definitive timetable for how much longer he wants to play and when he plans to retire.

"Whenever it does end, that's definitely my plan is to be playing for the Trail Blazers in my last game of my career," said Lillard about ending his career in Portland. "I don't have a timeline. I just know that I'll play as long as I feel in my heart that I can do the things that I do. The moment that I can't do what I do, there will be no reason for me to continue to do it."