Damian Lillard spent over a decade playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. The All-Star guard made sure to commemorate that time spent by crafting a lengthy message to all those who supported him.
Lillard previously hinted that he would be addressing the fans — excluding the “casuals” — shortly after his trade to the Milwaukee Bucks was made public.
The 33-year-old didn’t skimp on words. He uploaded a full 10-page Instagram gallery post with a lengthy message to the city of Portland, the Blazers organization, ownership, and even local media members.
“Dear Rip City, I want to start off by saying this isn’t a goodbye, it’s a see you later. … I consider you my home as well as many many of my family members and that won’t change,” said Lillard to start off his letter.
“The moments on the basketball court as great as they have been, don’t even compare to the experiences I’ve had with all of you. The way you embraced me from day one gave me no choice but to reciprocate the love a thousand times and I don’t regret it one bit.”
Lillard captioned the post with “RipCity Forever … Dame Time has run out.”
Lillard played 11 seasons with the Blazers after the franchise drafted him sixth overall in the 2012 NBA Draft. He made the All-Star team seven times in a Blazers uniform and led the franchise to their first trip to the Western Conference Finals since 2000.
Lillard averaged 25.2 points and 7.3 assists across 769 career games with the Blazers.
