The 35-year-old Damian Lillard returned to the Portland Trail Blazers earlier and signed a three-year contract. Damian Lillard said he would wait until his body was fully recovered before returning to the court.

Damian Lillard, who plays as a point guard, joined the Portland Trail Blazers through the 2012 draft until he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in September 2023.

In the 2024/25 NBA season, Damian Lillard played 58 games for the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 24.9 points per game and 37.6% from 3-point range. However, Damian Lillard later suffered a torn left Achilles tendon, and therefore only played three times for the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs that season.

When it comes to returning to the familiarity of Portland, Damian Lillard shared, "To think about all aspects of my life being back in this familiar place, being with my kids, playing for the Trail Blazers, driving down the streets that I've walked on almost every day of my adult life, and having my family here, including my mom and my siblings, and my friends, all of this is very important to me. I really didn't expect this moment to happen so quickly."

In addition, Portland Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin also said that the team will patiently wait for Damian Lillard to fully recover before letting him play.

Damian Lillard said, "If it was the competitive me before, I might have different ideas, but I think as I get older, I will become wiser. Like Joe Cronin said, the most important thing is to fully recover my body, and I agree with this, so I will wait patiently."

Recalling his experience after the injury, Damian Lillard said, “When I felt the pain of the Achilles tendon tear, I sat on the floor and touched the injury. From that moment on, the thought that came to my mind was that I had to recover from this injury. At that time, I saw the physical therapist was about to cry, but I didn’t. It was not because of stubbornness, but my thoughts automatically jumped to the point that I had to fight for something.”

"I never feel sorry for myself. I never have such emotions every time I am injured. This may be the most serious injury problem in my career, but I have never lost this kind of psychological test."