Damian Lillard responds to Stephen A. Smith amidst comments concerning his departure from the Blazers: “If we’re to win a championship in Portland, where does that put my legacy?”

Damian Lillard wants everyone to think about the cons of leaving the Blazers for a bigger market, as suggested by Stephen A. Smith. 

Damian Lillard’s continued excellence on the court has brought about the age-old question of whether he should stay with the Portland Trail Blazers for the foreseeable future. Ever since the Blazers picked Dame with the 6th overall pick in 2012, the Oakland native has pledged his loyalty to the franchise, claiming he wants to retire a Blazer. 

However, as time has gone on, it seems as though Damian Lillard and the Portland TrailBlazers relive the same type of season over and over again. It usually features an injury or two to a major star on their roster, which leads to Dame dragging the Blazers to a Playoff berth, only to be eliminated by the eventual champions. 

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The Blazers’ postseason shortcomings has brought about a hoard of analysts calling for Dame to take his talents elsewhere; a team that can surround him with the necessary talent to make a push to the Finals. At the forefront of this ‘movement’ is Stephen A. Smith. After multiple suggestions from Smith to leave the Blazers, looks like Dame has had enough. 

Damian Lillard responds to Stephen A Smith on leaving Portland

When asked about how he felt in regards to Stephen A and others lobbying for his departure from the state of Oregon, Lillard did not hold back. 

“I think for every person that says they want to see me on the big stage and in a bigger market, of course those things have pros, but nobody ever wants to think about the cons. If you take that step and it’s not what it seems to be and it doesn’t work out, or an injury happens, and you haven’t established as much of a rapport with the team, they could choose the next guy over you and things could fall apart.” 

.@Dame_Lillard, asked about playing in another market, says “If everybody says I can’t do it in Portland or we can’t win, what does that mean when we actually do? My whole career people have been saying I should go. If we go and win it, then what? I want that day to come.”

— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) March 7, 2021

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Dame continued on by saying, “My whole career, everybody’s been saying, ‘he should go to this team’ or ‘he should go to a bigger market’, so at the end of the day, if we just go and win it, then what? Where does that put my legacy? That’s how I see it.” 

Damian Lillard’s reasoning here makes a lot of sense. He’s locked in on a supermax contract with a team he’s comfortable, playing for and alongside people he’s comfortable with. He sees no need to leave Portland as he and his family are more than happy to reside there. As for his legacy, if Dame were to win a ring in Portland, it would one of the most meaningful championships in NBA history.