To many NBA fans, it's still unreal to see Damian Lillard playing for the Milwaukee Bucks. He played for the Portland Trail Blazers for so long that people thought he would play out his entire career in the NBA with that team. But he's in Milwaukee now, chasing the one ultimate goal of every player in the league — a championship.

In Milwaukee, Lillard knows he's got a great shot at finally winning an NBA title, in part because of the experience around him.

“It’s not refreshing, it’s more encouraging that these guys want what I want. They got one and they want one more… I’ve always enjoyed pouring into younger players so it’s not really refreshing it’s more encouraging,” Lillard said about having to play with more vets than he used to in Portland (h/t Danny Marang of 1080 The FAN).

Damian Lillard has his eyes on the prize with the Bucks

Damian Lillard of the Bucks doing the Dame Time celebration

Lillard was acquired by the Bucks in a three-team blockbuster trade in September of 2023. The Bucks let go of Grayson Allen, Jrue Holiday, and a couple of picks in a deal together with the Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trail Blazers. The expectation of the Bucks after pulling off that trade was simple and that's to win the NBA title again. With Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lillard forms a dangerous duo for the Bucks, who last won the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2021.

Through his first 44 games in Bucks threads, the 33-year-old Lillard has averaged 25.1 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 42.2 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from behind the arc.