Is Damian Lillard the greatest Portland Trail Blazer of all time?

By Jason Quick

There will come a day when there will be no debate. No dissection of the statistics, no examination of playoff results and no comparison of what Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler and Damian Lillard have meant to the Trail Blazers franchise.

No, in the end, it won’t matter. Lillard will rise above them all as the greatest to ever wear the Trail Blazers jersey.

I say that with confidence not because Lillard on Wednesday in New Orleans added another late-game heroic performance to his resume, although once again, it was a sight to behold. Trailing by one with 26 seconds left, Lillard scored while being fouled on a drive, and his three-point play with 16.5 seconds left held as the decisive moment in the Blazers’ 126-124 win, capping a night when he had 43 points and 16 assists.

That’s three consecutive captivating, late-game performances by Lillard, which has the Blazers snowballing into a six-game winning streak. Portland (18-10) should be a team fighting to keep its head above water without injured starters CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic, but instead, the Blazers are rubbing elbows with the likes of the Clippers, Lakers and Jazz in the upper echelon of the Western Conference.

But none of that is why Lillard will go down as the greatest Trail Blazer. Sure, his legacy will include his 34 (and counting) game-winning shots, and all the scoring records, and all the awards and honors that will surely come this season and beyond.

No, what sets him apart is what he so perfectly captured on Wednesday, when I asked him what he felt he needed to do to become the greatest Trail Blazer of all time. Keep in mind, this is not a passing fancy for Lillard. It is a notion he has studied for years and one he ultimately identified as a goal several years ago.

He knows about Walton winning the 1976-77 title, when the red-headed center was Finals MVP, which was followed by Walton winning the regular-season MVP the next season. And he knows that the high-flying Drexler twice made the NBA Finals, and was named to the All-Star team eight times while becoming Portland’s franchise leader in points and steals, and second in assists in rebounds.

And Lillard knows that his own postseason pinnacle — reaching the 2019 Western Conference finals — pales in comparison to the accomplishments of those franchise titans.

But if you dissect his answer, which was winding and nuanced, it gets right to the heart of why Lillard resonates so deeply with this fan base. Yeah, Walton and Drexler gave Portland the hardware. But did they give their heart?

“I don’t think being here meant the same to them,” Lillard said.

When he puts on the Trail Blazers jersey, it’s not just a uniform for Lillard.

By now, nine years into his roots taking hold in Oregon’s soil, the Blazers’ jersey has come to represent much for which he stands. It is the only NBA jersey he has worn, and to him, that means something, because it speaks to one of, if not the biggest, of his core values: loyalty.

“I think the pride that I have in (being a Trail Blazer), and how much I want to bring a championship to this city is at the top,” Lillard said.

In an era of professional sports when the pursuit of titles by star players includes manipulating the system to team with other stars, Lillard has not only stayed in Portland, he has staunchly and publicly rejected the idea of leaving. He lives in a Portland suburb year-round, and so do 20 or so of his immediate and extended family. They own businesses here. Go to school here. Teach kids here. He doesn’t just play in Portland. He knows it. He lives it.

He connects with the community unlike any player I’ve seen in my 23 years covering the Blazers. He has programs at local high schools promoting attendance. He’s an ambassador for Special Olympics. And he does more things with kids behind the scenes — dropping by birthday parties, giving his phone number out to keep in contact — that he doesn’t want coverage or publicity on.

That devotion to Portland has always served as the foundation of how Lillard has conducted business with the Blazers. He has never wanted to leave, and thus understood that he was always building something, even if it was the long game. That has allowed him to think about how he wanted to make his imprint on the organization, and make himself available to have that impact.



(Jaime Valdez / USA Today)
Lillard has been consulted on everything from roster moves to the team rules (no jewelry on the practice court), and has gotten to know the behind-the-desk employees so well that it was not out of the ordinary for him to buy flowers and crash the party of ticketing director Lori Spencer, who two years ago celebrated her 40th anniversary with the franchise. It’s also not uncommon for Lillard to stay late at the practice facility and have extended talks with RD Miller, the facility’s security agent. And when he took over as team captain after LaMarcus Aldridge left in free agency, he instituted a team policy that every player donates a portion of their playoff earnings to split among the support staff.

“The culture we’ve built, I feel like I’ve been so invested and such a huge part of everything that has happened for the last nine years,” Lillard said.

With that investment, both with his heart and his sweat, comes a feeling of ownership. And with ownership comes pride. He has put so much into his own game and cares so deeply about his teammates and the people inside the organization that he largely sees the franchise as a reflection of himself. And for that he is proud.

“I don’t think a player before me had the same pride in putting this uniform on than I have,” Lillard said.

Why should loyalty, pride and durability matter in a discourse about the greatest in franchise history? Because this is the Blazers, a franchise largely tortured by its past.

Outside of the glorious and unexpected title run of 1977, to follow the Blazers has largely been an exercise in agony, one cruel blow after another.

Drafting Sam Bowie instead of Michael Jordan. Passing on drafting Chris Paul because they had Sebastian Telfair. Drafting Greg Oden instead of Kevin Durant.

The injuries to Bowie, Oden and Brandon Roy. Losing the 15-point lead, and Game 7, to the Lakers in the 2000 Western Conference finals. And don’t forget 1991, perhaps the best Blazers team ever, winners of 63 games, which was upset in the conference finals by the Lakers.

Walton wanted out after five years (and four seasons). Drexler, unwilling to be part of a rebuild, orchestrated a trade midway through his 12th season. And Aldridge decided he would rather go to San Antonio than pursue his once stated goal to be the best Blazer ever.

If something can go wrong, it usually happens in Portland.

But Lillard and all his traits go against the Blazers’ history. He is durable. He is loyal. And so often he turns certain defeat into victory. Wednesday was his 34th go-ahead basket in the final minute since he joined the NBA in 2012, the most in the league in that time span.

Time and time again, Lillard has convinced Blazers fans that not everything has a bad ending.



Lillard’s commitment to the franchise and the community is something that separates him from previous Trail Blazers stars. (Stephen Lew / USA Today)
To be clear: Lillard, in my presence, has never brought up the Greatest Blazer of All Time topic up on his own. But he has never shied away from the discussion when asked about it, and he has been candid about wanting to secure that distinction.

Also, in my conversations, he has never disrespected Walton, Drexler or any player within the franchise, and in fact, has gone to lengths to understand and communicate with former players. One of our last in-person conversations last season before the pandemic struck was how he wished the franchise had a better relationship with some players, like Rasheed Wallace and Bonzi Wells, who declined invitations to attend the organization’s 50th-anniversary festivities.

So I never took him saying “I don’t think being here meant the same to them” as a slight against Walton or Drexler. I think it was Lillard being unafraid to say that he has invested and poured himself into this franchise like no other before him.

As for the logistics of securing the greatest title? Lillard is under contract through the 2024-25 season, and he knows there are milestones that can assure his legacy.

Next season, Lillard should pass Drexler as the franchise leading scorer and move past him into second in assists. But ultimately he knows he will be judged by more than just stats to be unanimously considered the greatest Blazer.

“I think I just need to continue to improve, continue to win games and eventually win a championship,” Lillard said. “I think if we win a championship, it’s a wrap.

“But I don’t think if we don’t win it that I won’t be the greatest Blazer of all time. I think I will be. I think I’m nearing that already.”

 

This article is gonna look so funny when he's traded to the Lakers next off season.

 

Wait, I thought LaMarcus Aldridge was going to be the greatest Blazer of all time.

 

Porter PG'd the team to two finals, played for the Blazers for 10 years, and even coached in Portland (at UP). I'd put Dame on the all-Blazer team, but as a reserve, not a starter.

 

Where is the voting booth? He is the clear choice.

 

Portland needs a religious blessing.