Damian Lillard stunned the NBA on Thursday when he decided to return to the Portland Trail Blazers, and the star point guard is clearly happy to be back home.
Lillard has signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Blazers. He is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 season as he recovers from a torn Achilles, but he opted to rejoin his old team despite interest from numerous playoff contenders.
Shortly after the news surfaced, Lillard shared a video on social media that showed a camera panning across the lockers of several Trail Blazers players. The video eventually arrived at Lillard’s No. 0 locker and ended with the words “together again.”
RipCityyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!! @trailblazers pic.twitter.com/x3jnZr1s0G
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) July 17, 2025
Lillard had $113 million remaining on his contract with the Milwaukee Bucks when they decided to waive and stretch him. The 35-year-old will still collect all of that money while also making $14 million per year from Portland.
The Blazers are coming off a 36-46 season in which they missed the playoffs. Lillard is still chasing his first NBA title, and rumors had linked him to contending teams. He opted instead to return to Portland, where his family still lives.
Lillard spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Blazers before being traded to the Bucks two seasons ago. If he returns fully healthy in 2026, he should be able to help Portland get back to the postseason.
