Lillard laments NBA rings culture: 'The journey' still matters

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard recently said there's more to his legacy than chasing championships.

In an upcoming episode of "The Old Man and The Three" podcast, Lillard told former NBA player JJ Redick that he believes the NBA has evolved for the worse.

"Now it's like, the regular season don't count. Get a ring,'" Lillard said, referring to fans' dismissal of his accomplishments.

"I don't need to prove to y'all that I want to win a ring. Why the hell do I play?" the seven-time All-Star added. "While I understand we play to win championships - we all want to win a championship - we can't keep acting like the journey doesn't matter. We can't keep doing that."

Lillard said the championship-or-bust mentality has hurt his love of the league, which has seen increases in load management and a de-emphasized regular season in recent years as teams focus on optimizing their star players for the playoffs.

"I don't know if I can just play a long, long time because I don't enjoy what the NBA as a whole is becoming," he said.

Lillard has spent all 11 seasons of his career in Portland, making eight playoff appearances but just one Western Conference finals.

Despite the veteran averaging a career-high 32.1 points this campaign, the Blazers are just 31-37 and sit 13th in the Western Conference.

When asked how he deals with the criticism surrounding his lack of playoff success, Lillard responded that he doesn't define his worth by his NBA accolades.

"I have a real life," he said. "I go home, I play with my kids. I go to my mom's house, I hang out with my cousins. ... I have a life that's stable, and it's not based upon who I am as an NBA player."