"It's public record": Damian Lillard says possibility of Giannis Antetokounmpo team-up helped him choose Bucks over Miami Heat
Damian Lillard had to change his stance on joining the Miami Heat. Teaming with Giannis Antetokounmpo helped him accept a move to the Milwaukee Bucks. Lillard's interest in landing with the Heat was well-known, but the Portland Trail Blazers and Miami were far apart in trade talks.
Meanwhile, Blazers GM Joe Cronin reportedly shut the door on Lillard to continue his run with the team if a deal didn't go through. He remained adamant about moving the All-Star guard and deemed Milwaukee's package the right one to let go of Lillard.
Lillard made his first appearance in a Bucks jersey on Monday's media day. He reflected on his trade saga, teaming with Giannis Antetokounmpo and his first experience of being on the move:
"It was just all this talk and all these things, and there was a lot of things said that didn't come from me," saidd Lillard. "I hadn't spoken on the situation a whole lot. But as we got into it, my agent called me, and he was just like, you know, what about Milwaukee? And obviously, Giannis, you know, it's public record that I've always mentioned, you know, if I had to team up with one person, it would be him.
"So when we talked about it, I was like, I would definitely be interested in that, obviously. And he was just like, okay, you know, and I could tell he kind of put it in his back pocket. And obviously, in these situations, you never control completely, you know, how things end up or where you end up going."
Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo have had tremendous mutual respect
Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been loyal players for the Bucks and Blazers, respecitvely.
Lillard has moved now, but he stuck with the Portland Trail Blazers through thick and thin. At 33, his desire to win was amplified, seeing him demand a trade, with the Blazers looking far from a position to contend for a championship.
However, the two players' loyalty is what them saw earn the respect of the other. Lillard once cited Antetokounmpo's 2021 championship run with the Bucks as his reason to remain loyal to Portland, telling Yahoo Sports:
“When I watched Giannis, he was really looking around like, ‘Damn, what if I really left Milwaukee? This was worth it.’ So for me, I put myself in his shoes. Sometimes it seems like this is impossible and it’s never going to happen, and I’m sure he was there before, too."
Meanwhile, Damian Lillard has named Giannis Antetokounmpo as his dream teammate multiple times. One of the instances was during a Twitter interaction with a fan who asked him which player he would pick to play the finals with.
The other time was late last year in an interview with GQ when Lillard was asked which player he would pick to win a championship with. Lillard's answer was still the same.
Damian Lillard can now pursue the goal of potentially winning his first ring alongside two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.