Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard spent the first eleven years of his NBA career with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he departed this past September as the franchise's leader in scoring, three-pointers made, and free throws made. Whether he's the best, second-best, or third-best Portland Trail Blazer of all-time is up for debate, but it's indisputable that he falls nowhere lower than third on that list.

On Wednesday night, Damian Lillard made his first trip back to Portland since being traded to the Bucks just weeks before the 2023-24 season began, and as expected, he was treated to a beautiful tribute video commemorating his time as a Blazer. The result of the game — a 119-116 Blazers win — and the state of the Milwaukee Bucks, who have now lost their first two games played under new head coach Doc Rivers, momentarily takes a backseat to the story of Lillard's return. Lillard scored 25 points and chipped in 6 rebounds and 7 assists as well, and after the game, he spoke about the loss and his return to the city he called home for over a decade.

“It was a fun game. I think these types of games where there’s a lot of meaning, there’s a lot of emotion to it, it’s always a fun game,” Lillard said, per Aaron J. Fentress of The Oregonian. “It's always competitive. These games are never just a boring game or a blowout. It seems like there’s always a little bit more juice to them. That’s what tonight was. It was an entertaining game. There was excitement. Fans were into the game for a lot of reasons. That’s what the NBA is.”

In November, Lillard played his first game against his former team, but that contest was in Milwaukee. It took a furious 4th quarter comeback, but the Bucks were able to pull out a 108-102 win. Lillard scored 31 points, including 11 in the 4th quarter, to lead the Bucks to a win.