As Portland Trail Blazers veteran Damian Lillard continues his road to recovery from a season-ending Achilles tear, his new workout video proves he's a step closer to making a return. Lillard reunited with the Trail Blazers this summer, agreeing to a three-year, $41.6 million deal with a player option for the 2027-28 season. Damian returns to the team he played for the first 11 seasons of his 13-year career.
After the Milwaukee Bucks' two-year title pursuit with Lillard and All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way, the front office went into a new direction that led the Bucks to waive and stretch the remaining $113 million on his contract over five years. Then, Dame agreed to a new deal with Portland.
Lillard posted a video of himself captioned, “to be continued,” shooting and dribbling on a practice court to his X, formerly Twitter.
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Lillard tore his left Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the Bucks' opening-round series against the Indiana Pacers. After a disappointing end to Milwaukee's season, few were shocked to see the Bucks and Lillard go their separate ways. However, Dame's decision to head back to the Trail Blazers, the only other NBA team he's ever played for, did come as a surprise, as many assumed he'd attempt to latch onto a championship-contending team.
Dwyane Wade drops truth bomb on Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard
Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) drives past Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) during the first quarter at the Moda Center
Craig Mitchelldyer-Imagn Images
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Although Hall of Fame guard Dwyane Wade helped lead the Heat to three championships throughout his career, he knows titles don't necessarily define the impact of a player. Wade still considers title-less Damian Lillard elite.
Wade addressed Lillard's championship-less legacy, per Time Out with Dywane Wade on the WY Network.
“Dame’s legacy in the NBA will be way bigger than a championship,” Wade said. “I think every player that comes through this league’s legacy is not just built on a winning a championship. And we’ve got to stop doing that. Yes, if you’re one of the greatest, if you want to be on that Top 75. You want to be up there with the GOATS, yes, championships are a part of this game.
“But that doesn’t mean that every player that comes through that is great at this game has to walk away with a championship for their legacy to be stamped. So Dame to me is one of those players that if he doesn’t sniff a championship it doesn’t change the fact that Dame is a bad mother f*****,” Wade concluded.
Seeing Lillard back on the floor is an encouraging sign for Trail Blazers fans.