The Return to Portland Could be as Important to Damian Lillard as his Achilles Rehab

The last time we saw Damian Lillard on the basketball court was in Game 4 of Milwaukee's opening series against Indiana in the 2025 playoffs. He was helped off the court after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon, capping off a tumultuous two-year stint with the Bucks. Milwaukee and Lillard mutually agreed to part ways, allowing him to return to the Trail Blazers as a free agent. Lillard's Bucks tenure was short-lived, and basketball seemed to be a reprieve from issues in his personal life.

"As much as I love basketball and I love my job, I don't care about it more than I care about my kids," Lillard said, per then-Yahoo Sports reporter Vincent Goodwill. "Of course, you carry it with you. People say, 'When I hoop I ain't thinking about nothing,' but I'm not 21. I got three kids. I'm tight with my family and I'm going through a divorced."

Lillard formally requested a trade from Portland in July, 2023, due to growing frustrations with roster construction. The Trail Blazers drafted point guard Scoot Henderson with the third overall pick in the 2023 draft weeks earlier, signifying the franchise's interest in starting a rebuild with younger talent. The blockbuster trade that sent Lillard to Milwaukee was finalized on September 27, 2023.

Days after his arrival in Milwaukee, news of his divorce became public. Lillard had just moved across the country and then had court proceedings back in Oregon. Unrelenting pressure of playing professional basketball in an unfamiliar, new home city mounted with a messy divorce process and it began take a toll on him.Lillard admitted that the divorce was affecting his on-court play. 

"You got to keep pushing forward, you know? I think that's the best thing," Lillard said in the Goodwill report. "I mean, as people we all know, you've got to go home to your own stuff, everybody that can watch our games they go to their personal stuff, and it plays a part in how you do your job and how your day goes."

Lillard will once again put on his Blazers jersey and set foot on the Moda Center court in what should feel like a reconciliation story. Much anticipation will surround his Achilles rehab and the impact it will have on his on-court play. Hopefully his return to Portland will come as a relief, and he will be able to return as a fan-favorite.