It would have been better in a win, but it’s still a great accomplishment.
With his 21st point, which ended up being a free throw, Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard passed Clyde Drexler to become the leading scorer in franchise history with 18,041 points (and counting) in Portland’s 123-121 loss to the Thunder Monday night in Oklahoma City. There has been little doubt for some time that Lillard would overtake Drexler’s record, which had stood for 27 years, but when he would actually surpass that mark was still very much in question.
But after scoring 93 points in his last three games, it seemed likely that he would get at least the 21 points he needed to pass Drexler Monday night, though taking the top spot would have been much sweeter if done at home and in a win, neither of which was the case.
“Obviously it’s not the same as if we had won the game, you feel better about it, but it’s an accomplishment that came with a lot of losses and a lot of wins,” said Lillard. “I don’t want to not acknowledge it, it’s an honor, it’s a great feel to, I guess, reach the top. It’s been a goal of mine and the list has so many great players, the great history of the organization, so to climb it and be number one is a special accomplishment that I’m proud of.
“I’m thankful for all the people that played a part, like I’ve been saying for the last couple days, but you want to enjoy that moment in a win. Even during the game tonight, I wasn’t playing focused on getting to the record, I was focused on playing a game and just trying to win. I knew it would happen eventually. It takes away from it a little bit, you want to win and experience it.”
But while passing Drexler in a loss might sting in the moment, it doesn’t take away from Lillard’s status as arguably the best player in franchise history who has remained loyal to the Trail Blazers and the city of Portland. It took 730 games to become the all-time leading scorer, and one game, be it a win or a loss, doesn’t change what he’s meant to the franchise and their fans, who will have a chance to celebrate Lillard in person once the Trail Blazers return to Portland to host the Hornets on December 26.
But until then, here’s what Lillard had to say, over the course of multiple conversations, about passing Drexler to become the franchises’ all-time leading scorer, his relationship with Clyde, working on his game in order to be in this position, some of his most memorable performances and how he often knows they’re about to happen, his relationship with the organization and their fans and what it means to be "Dame."
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Was there a time when you thought the record is possible? When did you realize that Clyde Drexler's scoring record was attainable?
Damian Lillard: I felt like, I remember what year, was maybe six or seven year (ed. note: it was his sixth season), was playing at Toronto, maybe my seven year, one of those years. Was playing at Toronto, I think I broke 10,000 at Toronto. And Terry (Stotts) was like, "Dame, you know, we don't talk about it enough and we don't show you the appreciation we should for the type of performances you have, how consistent you've been."
It was the first time -- it was in the locker room in front of the team -- where he just really kind of just gave me love like that. And he talked about the way that I reached it and how I conducted myself and my performances, how I go about my work. And I just remember thinking like, "Damn 10,000." I remember, maybe turning to (Jon) Yim or somebody like "How many points Clyde got?" and he was like "18-something." I feel like that was really the moment where I was like, I think I think I'm gonna get him, you know what I mean? That was the moment where I thought about it, like on the deepest level. Before that, it was like, I want to be the best, but that was the first time where I was just like, "Eighteen thousand, that’s a couple seasons!"
What do you what do you think has allowed you to reach this milestone while you’re still in the prime of your career? What are some of the traits that put you on the path to being the all-time scorer in franchise history?
Damian Lillard: Well, I think for one, I've been fortunate to have opportunity from Day One. Terry played me from Day One, I had freedom from Day One. I also think just working on my game and working on my body, to the point where I've been really healthy for this 11 years, minus the last 50 games last season where I had surgery. But I've been really healthy, so I think that's the number one thing.
I’ve been out there every game, and that, with having an opportunity, are reasons why. Also just, training my body and my game to where I'll be able to be consistent and do what I need to do with that time.
You entered the NBA as a fairly polished player, but you've pushed yourself to get better. Why do you think that is? A lot of guys put in a lot of work, a lot of guys have trainers and get in a ton of reps in the offseason, but it seems like you’ve been strategic about adding specific skills to your game.
Damian Lillard: I just think my story is well documented, but I think the number one thing is it's like, just to make it to the NBA, I always had to just find the holes in my game and find the cracks where it was, what's uncomfortable for me, you know? What don't I want to face? I think I can be better at this, like every little thing, you know, just looking in the mirror and addressing those things instead of running from them.
And being able to accept criticism and stuff like that from my trainers and just from the numbers. "Oh, you don't do this well, you don't do that well, you struggle in these situations." The moment that I figured out facing those things made me better, I chose just to go that route.
I was in college when I couldn't shoot off pin downs, and I couldn't go right that good and I started to work on my step back right because I love to step back left and I just started to do that stuff, once I felt what it was like to have results from facing myself in the mirror, that's just kind of been like my blueprint. It’s like, I don't mind going into summer and Phil (Beckner) would be like "You know, you suck at this is" or "You got to be better at this. You can't forget about this. And you got to get your finishing, you got to keep your eyes on the rim or keep your eyes up when you finish." I take those things to heart. And that's kind of been the recipe for success for me is just being able to face those things that I can do better. And even face those things behind closed doors, and not just say, "Oh, I'm gonna work on this, and I'm gonna add this," but to really be willing to deal with Phil on my ass and my strength and conditioning coach, Cem (Eren), just on my ass about "You got to be stronger in this position. You got to do this, you got to do that." Just every little thing that they put on the table, I’ve trusted them and I've taken it to heart and addressed it and it's allowed me to just continue to get better and better and stretch myself a lot more than I think people ever would have thought.
Was the ever a time where you felt like you focused too much on scoring? Scoring point guards have to find a balance between looking for their own and setting up their teammates, and it seems like you’ve generally struck a good balance between the two.
Damian Lillard: There’s something about when the games are out of hand and stuff like that where I feel uncomfortable still even trying to score, so I'm more likely to try to not look like I'm chasing scoring than to keep doing it. But just as far as focusing on scoring, I think I've always just played the right way. That's been my main focus.
I do think I've had times in my career where I tried to change or control the game through my scoring too much. But at that time, I just wasn’t... mentally I didn't have the experience or the understanding that I have now or that I've had in the last few years, so I tried to do it through what I did best: score. I tried to change games and control games through my scoring, and I would say those are the only times where I felt like I tried to score too much. But I don't think I've ever played the game where it was like, "I’m just focused on getting buckets." I've never played the game that way.
What’s your relationship like with Clyde Drexler?
Damian Lillard: We’ve actually got a pretty solid relationship. I’d say every couple months we get on the phone and talk, just normal stuff though. I talk to him sometimes about wanting to win here and he’s like "I want you to be the guy to win there, too, you deserve it." Just always encouraging me and always been supportive of the mission I’m on. We’ve always had a solid relationship, honestly. He’ll randomly call me and I’ll be like "Hello?" and I got his number in my phone and every time I pick up he’s like "Dame, it’s Clyde." I be like "I know!"
You never know how former players are going to take it when their long-standing records are broken, but it sounds like that’s not the case with Clyde.
Damian Lillard: It’s been so long, it’s been 30 years almost. I would imagine when I’m about to turn 60 years old and there’s a record that’s about to be broken decades later, I don’t think when I get to that point I’m going to still be holding on to a record. So much life has happened, he’s a Hall of Famer, he’s Clyde. This won’t take away from who he is, it’s just another step in history.
“He’s Clyde” is a good way to put it. Do you think you’re “Dame?”
Damian Lillard: I mean, I’m still writing my story, still feel like there’s a lot of things I need to accomplish and want to accomplish and I feel like I’m going to finish far ahead of where I am right now. But I do feel like that, I think I feel that way about myself in general. It’s like, I don’t walk around saying "Me compared to this person or that person." I think a lot of comparisons happen, on TV and in articles and on the internet, but for me personally, I just carry myself like I’m Dame. I know the power in who I am, I know the person that I am and I’m confident and comfortable with that. So I do have the mentality of "I’m Dame" and that’s that.
Are there any points that stand out for you in your career? You’ve had some of the most memorable plays in the NBA in the last decade, are there any that especially stick out for you? What’s the quintessential Damian Lillard scoring game?
Damian Lillard: I would say there’s a couple games but I would say one would be the OKC game in the playoffs because the night before that game I was talking to Chris Haynes. We did a story and he was at my house and he was like "Man, how you feeling about tomorrow?" and I turned to him and I said "I’m taking these (fellow NBA players) out tomorrow." And when I said it wasn’t just saying it from a place of like, trying to hype myself up; I knew before that day came that tomorrow, I’m coming out here to get ‘em. We up 3-1, we can get ‘em out at home. To me, that’s just like, will. My mind was there before I physically was even at the arena and I came into the game with that same feeling. And I did it. That’s me.
The other game, I would say, was in the Bubble. When we had to win all of these games it was like, each moment was not about just I got there, got a good warmup in, the ball felt good. It was like, the night before we played against Dallas in the Bubble, I was like ‘We have to win this game. I’m taking ‘em out.’ And I had 60 in that game and it was just like, those are the games -- and there have been a few others like that. I think it was my fourth or fifth year and I didn’t make the All-Star game and it was the first game after the All-Star break, we played Golden State, I had 50 at home, we won. Those are the games where I remember clearly right now where, before the game happened, I was just like, I’m going to impose myself on this game to make a statement and I was able to go out there and do it, you know what I’m saying? So I think that’s why those are the games I think of that are like, a Dame thing.
And other than that, I just think of when I go on stretches. Like in 2020, I had like three different stretches where I was just on fire. It was just my mind. That’s the real representation of me being me. I made my mind up and that’s just where my head was and I made it happen.
Does that weird you out at all sometimes?
Damian Lillard: When I actually think about it, it seems like it would not be a real thing. Like, if somebody said it to me I’d be like "Yeah, alright, you just happen to be playing well." I feel like when LeBron had that big Game 6 against Boston, I feel like you recognize it when somebody is just out of they mind and then when somebody is intentional and the will and their mind is in it, you recognize it. And I recognized it when he had that performance against Boston, he had a different presence and demeanor than he typically does, you could tell he was like ‘This a big game, I’m going to embrace it, I’m. going to get it done.’ And you can see it.
And then a game like Game 5 versus Denver when I had 55, I didn’t go into that game thinking like that, it just was a big game. That’s the difference, the mental part of it. That would describe "Dame."
Obviously you can’t become the all-time leading scorer in franchise history without spending a lot of time with one franchise, so how do you look back on your relationship with the team and the city?
Damian Lillard: It’s weird because the best city I played in in college in conference was Portland. We played in Montana two times, Sacramento and all these different places, but the place we all looked forward to going to was Portland because it was like, a city. Different stores, you can walk around downtown, so it was like, I always liked Portland. And then two of my best friends came to college in Portland straight out of high school and I came to visit them, so it was like, I always kind of had a thing with Portland, just throughout college coming here.
Going through the predraft process when I worked out for the Blazers I was here with my friend, just hanging out, all these things. And when the draft lottery came on I remembered thinking to myself -- they fell at six -- I’m looking at their roster I’m like "It’s close to home, I’m familiar with Portland, I would want to be there, my friends going to school there." Me and my agent, literally after the balls dropped and they kind of penciled everybody in, we looked at each other and both said "Portland." And he was like "They don’t really have a point guard right now, they’ve got good players, it’s close." He kind of was just running it off to me like that. We both literally looked at each other and said "Portland" so it’s funny that all of those things kind of lined up to me having what’s now an 11-year career here.
You’ll pass this record and become the top scorer in franchise history, but you’re at the top of a lot of different categories and still have a long way to go in your career...
Damian Lillard: I might be the all-time leading defensive rebounder by the time I’m done cause I saw myself on the list, like, damn! But I want to dominate everything involving the Trail Blazers. I would have to, the best player wouldn’t just be scoring. I want to have more wins than everybody, I want to play more games than everybody. When you think Blazers, I want you to think of me. Just because of social media and tv and everything, I think when people think of the Blazers now, they’re going to think of me for a long time.
It seems like that really means something to you.
Damian Lillard: It means a lot because I’d just like to leave my mark. When I went to Weber State, nobody knew what Weber State was but I was like "I came through here." They retired my jersey, people know what Weber State is. They had some Cinderella runs, they had stuff before me, but what I brought to it, people know. So that’s kind of the same with being a Trail Blazer. When people think about what the organization represents, I know that they gonna think of me and what I represent, and that’s what I want it to be. I want to leave my mark and I want it to be a strong mark. That’s it.