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Damian Lillard is no longer a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, but he is still a franchise legend.
And the fans at Moda Center reacted accordingly during his first return to Portland as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday by giving him a rousing ovation when he was introduced as part of the visitors’ starting lineup:
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Damian Lillard receives an ovation from Rip City in his return to Portland ❤️👏
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He was appreciative of the reception and even gave the crowd a thumbs up.
It was exactly what he expected.
“I expect it to be a lot of love, honestly,” he told reporters before the game. “I’ve always had a great relationship with the city and a great relationship with the fans. I don’t see that changing at all. We had a lot of great times, a lot of high moments, and we’ve shared some low moments. We was always in the fight. We always had sell out crowds, and I showed up and did what I needed to do, every night.”
Portland selected Lillard with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, and he played the first 11 seasons of his career for the team. He was a seven-time All-NBA selection, seven-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year and member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team during his time with the Trail Blazers.
He also became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and was known for delivering in the clutch moments as the city fell in love with him.
While he is now being greeted as a visitor, don’t rule out a potential comeback down the line.
After all, he told reporters before the game he always felt his career would end wearing a Trail Blazers uniform.
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