Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard might not be teammates anymore, but there is still a great deal of respect between the two. The Portland Trail Blazers were set to face off against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard shared a fun moment between former teammates before the game began.

The Bucks made the decision to part ways with Damian Lillard this past offseason when they waived and stretched his contract. The move was done in part to make room for Myles Turner whom the Bucks pried away from conference rival, the Indiana Pacers, in free agency. Before that, Lillard played two seasons with the Bucks alongside Giannis.

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Lillard was an All-Star during his two seasons in Milwaukee, but the Bucks were never able to make a sustained playoff run due to injuries and inconsistency. Both Antetokounmpo and Lillard battled injuries during the Bucks’ opening round playoff series against the Pacers in 2024. Lillard then suffered an Achilles injury in the 2025 playoffs, which has kept him sidelined this season as he rejoined the Blazers via free agency.

The Blazers are currently 7-10 and in ninth place in the Western Conference standings while the Bucks are 8-9 and in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Antetokounmpo is presently sidelined due to a groin injury. He’s appeared in 13 games so far, at a little over 31 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 31.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.2 blocked shots with splits of 62.9 percent shooting from the field, 50 percent shooting from he 3-point line and 63.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.