4 Years Before ‘Painful’ Statement, Damian Lillard Surprised Wife With ‘Romantic’ Proposal During 2020 All-Star Weekend in Chicago

In a recent interview with Yahoo, Damian Lillard opened up about the professional and personal turmoil he had to endure while moving from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Milwaukee Bucks. While grappling with a separation from a loyal Portland fanbase, the Guard was also going through a divorce. Alluding to this painful period, Lillard called it the “hardest transition in my life.”

He was getting torn apart from two of his long-term commitments. His ex-wife Kay’la Hanson had been his romantic partner since 2011.  This was in contrast to what happened four years ago in Chicago when the All-Star went all out to propose his heartthrob. Lillard surprised his ex-wife by “sneaking” in both his family and her family to Chicago, which was the venue for the 2020 All-Star Game.

In an interview with African-American-centric magazine Ebony in 2021, the guard revealed how he organized a romantic proposal for Hanson during the 2020 All-Star Weekend.

“I[Lillard] told her[Hanson] we were attending a new Valentine’s Day event the NBA was hosting. We showed up to the venue where I had a wall full of roses designed with ‘Will You Marry Me?”She turned around after she read the question and I was right there on one knee. Then both of our families joined us for the big celebration,” disclosed the 8x All-Star Guard 

It was clear that the love was blossoming between the pair after a decade-long partnership. By the time they tied the knot in September 2021, Hanson and Lillard had had three children. But in December 2022, it was reported that Damian Lillard had moved out of the family home. All was not well between the couple.

Damian Lillard had a long partnership with Kay’la Hanson

Lillard and Hanson were close to each other back since Lillard was studying professional sales at Weber State University in 2011. Hanson was a nursing student and Lillard’s ex-wife took care of his basic needs. After the NBA guard proposed to her in February 2020 after a long-term partnership, the nail salon owner agreed to it. The two got married in September 2021. In the 2021 interview with Ebony, Lillard stated, “When we[Lillard, Hanson] were in college she took care of me. She had the car, an apartment, and bent over backwards for me. Kay’La accepted me with all my flaws as a young man“

On March 29, 2018, Hanson gave birth to their son Damian Jr. Meanwhile, on January 21, 2021, their twins son Kalii and daughter Kali were born. However, Lillard filed for divorce in September 2023 after shifting out of their home in December 2022. Thus, the 33-year-old had to go on separate ways with his college sweetheart after they had built a solid family. In his recent Yahoo interview, the guard touched upon the pain of separation as they parent their three children.

“As much as I love basketball, and I love my job, I don’t care about it more than I care about my kid. 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 divorce,”  a hurt Lillard told Yahoo.

These words resonate with the turbulence the guard has faced for more than a year now. Perhaps the flare of his 2024 All-Star selection would have taken a hit compared to the dreamy 2020 All-Star Weekend when he proposed to Hanson.