The Portland Trail Blazers wouldn't be perennial playoff contenders if not for the contributions made by All-Star point guard Damian Lillard. In 2012, Lillard was taken off the NBA Draft board with the sixth-overall pick, and the franchise never regretted their decision ever since.
The 28-year-old sharpshooter has been the focal point of Portland's offense ever since the departure of LaMarcus Aldridge in 2015. From there on, Lillard relished the opportunity to be his team's main man and significantly saw his scoring numbers jump to a new level.
As of Friday, Lillard finally surpassed his former teammate Aldridge in the Blazers' all-time scoring list.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports shared a tweet on Oakland native's landmark moment:
Portland star @Dame_Lillard has surpassed LaMarcus Aldridge for second on Trail Blazers' all-time scoring list with 12,565 points. Clyde Drexler the leader at 18,040 points.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 16, 2019
Aldridge spent his first nine seasons in Portland before opting to sign with a true championship contender in the San Antonio Spurs four years ago. He was highly regarded as the franchise's next big star, but then came Lillard to share the workload.
Aldridge's decision to play for the Spurs opened the doors for his equally talented teammate to take sole command of the Blazers' future. And while Lillard was also enticed to change his scenery in the past, he's been thoroughly committed to the Portland organization through thick and thin.
Lillard's loyalty to the Blazers has just been rewarded yet again, and he's far from done breaking new records.
It took nine seasons in Portland for Aldridge to place himself second on the Blazers' all-time scoring list, whereas Lillard surpassed him in just a little under seven seasons.
Lillard still has a long way to go to catch up on Hall-of-Famer Clyde Drexler's mark. But at his current pace, he could very well do so and add another milestone to his already spectacular NBA career.
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