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The Portland Trail Blazers fans greeted their former star player Damian Lillard with a joyous ovation ahead of the clash against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Moda Center in Portland. Lillard left the Trail Blazers in a blockbuster 3-team trade which involved the Phoenix Suns. The 33-year-old grew into one of the NBA greats during his time with the Blazers.
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Lillard was a seven-time NBA All-Star and made seven All-NBA teams in an 11-year stint at the Rip City. He led the Blazers to eight playoffs, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2019 and was also named in the NBA 75 list, which included the 75 best players in the league's history.
Damian Lillard gets massive standing ovation in Portland
Hence as Damian Lillard returned to Portland, he was welcomed with a lengthy standing ovation by an appreciative Portland crowd. The ovation lasted over a minute with Lillard getting emotional as he thanked the fans for their adoration with his hands in a heart shape.
It was really weird: Damian Lillard on return to Portland
Ahead of the Bucks-Blazers clash, Damian Lillard expressed feeling weird as the returned to the Moda centre for the first time since leaving Portland. Lillard also revealed he nearly entered the home locker room. Speaking in the pre-match presser, the All-star guard said, " It’s been like being back home."
"I’ve spent a lot of time here - I live here, it’s home. Being away from being here has been a transition. It was weird. As I was coming in - I was going to instinctively keep walking down the hall - I had never been in the visitors' locker before. So it was really weird."
