Damian Lillard Reveals His Goals For the End of His Career

Damian Lillard is at the tail end of his career. He’s already won Rookie of the Year, been an All-Star nine times, and was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. On top of that, he has multiple three-point contest wins, an All-Star Game MVP, and a couple of the most iconic playoff moments of this century. But at 35 years old, Lillard is hoping his career is far from over. 

Lillard recently spoke about what he hopes the latter half of his career looks like, now that he has returned home to Portland. 

"Get healthy and just come back in form. You know, clean up all of the things in my life that could be a distraction and that could create problems for me that are outside of what's important. And just get back on the court with a high-energy, talented, deep, younger team. There's a lot of things that they're capable of — they just haven't done it. And I think this will probably be the first time in my career where my leadership is going to require me to tell them, 'We're right there.' Y'all can—like y'all good enough. We all gotta get better. That's the name of the game: get better. And helping them understand what it requires — not because of what I think, but because of my experience. Showing them: this is how I know that this will get it done. This is how I know that we are good enough."

Besides just getting his health back, Lillard has high hopes for what he can bring to this young Blazers team. Lillard is a veteran leader who can teach this Portland team all the tricks of the trade. If he is able to play effectively with them, that could make him even more valuable. 

It seems like Lillard is no longer interested in chasing championships. For now, he just wants to help in the best way he can, being a great role model and helping the Trail Blazers pivot towards their new future.