It had been 1,295 days since Damian Lillard last played for the Portland Trail Blazers before Wednesday's 123-118 preseason win over the Golden State Warriors.
It was a welcomed homecoming for the nine-time All-Star.
"It felt like I was back where I belong," Lillard told reporters following the preseason victory at The Moda Center. "Back home."
"I played here a lot of years, and I think people know how I operate. They know what I bring. They know the care that I put into it, and they know that I’m going to show up. ... I can feel that appreciation."
The Blazers traded Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023, ending an 11-year tenure with the team that selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft. He returned to Portland on a three-year, $42-million deal in July 2025 while recovering from a ruptured Achilles that forced him to miss all of last season.
The 36-year-old looked sharp in his first game since the 2025 playoffs, recording 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting in 19 minutes of action.
"I felt like myself," Lillard told NBA TV. "I felt like I was just playing another game."
Wednesday marked the first time that Lillard and the Blazers' prized offseason acquisition, Ja Morant, shared the floor as part of the team's new-look backcourt.
"He's a willing passer, a natural playmaker, and he can get to his spots on the court," Lillard said of Morant. "When you've got somebody with that type of ability, as crafty as he is, you know that they're gonna be able to make plays and create easy opportunities for me."
Portland acquired Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies in June in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. Morant scored eight points on 3-of-8 shooting along with five assists versus the Warriors.
"I feel like (Morant) has a lot of joy right now," Lillard told The Athletic's Jason Quick. "I read people well, you know? And I can tell he is not pretending to be happy, you know? He walks around with a smile. And when we practice, and he’s talking, he’s engaged, he’s invested, and you are able to see that he’s happy with his situation."
