When the Milwaukee Bucks traded for Damian Lillard back in September of 2023, everyone thought that they became an easy favorite to win a NBA Championship. After all, pairing Lillard, a top 75 player in NBA history, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, himself a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, seemed to be a match made in heaven. And for a brief while, it was.
Giannis, Lillard, and the rest of the Bucks embraced the challenge of assimilating at a fast pace. There would be challenges, sure, but they would figure it out. In the end, though, it was not that simple.
Lillard has seen his production drop compared to last season, and the Bucks as a team underperformed. Sure, they were 30-13 through 43 games, but anyone watching them could tell that things weren’t right. Milwaukee fired rookie head coach Adrian Griffin and brought in Doc Rivers. After stumbling into the All-Star Break with a 3-7 record in Rivers’ first 10 games, they have won three games in a row with a vastly superior defense than the one they had at the beginning of the season.
But while Milwaukee has started to figure it out on the court, Lillard is still trying to find his place in Milwaukee. Not only in improving his on-court chemistry with his fellow superstar, but as a man going through a rough divorce who misses his children.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Damian Lillard Opens Up About the Loneliness He Is Experiencing
In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Lillard talked about how he is developing his chemistry with Giannis and how he is adjusting to life in Milwaukee. A portion of the interview read:
“Being away from my kids is tough. In Portland, my life was set up. My mom was down the street; my brother was the other way down the street. My sister was down the street. My kids in school. Just my whole life was set up perfectly right there. It was a great situation. So just leaving that behind alone is a lot. And then you add the basketball side to it and that is what it is.
“It’s definitely lonely because I’m such a family guy. My life is my family. After games, I would come out and my whole family would be back there. My kids coming out of the playroom. My mom, my brother, my cousins lived there, you know what I mean? My best friends live in Portland. So I would come out, we would go to dinner. They might come to my house. After practice, I might go to my mom’s house and just chill. That’s how my life was. So, I mean, I’m fine because I’m grown. But it’s definitely lonely. I’m filled up by those people.”
It makes sense that Lillard does not have the same level of close friends in Milwaukee than he did in Portland. He spent 11 years there, started a family there, and put down roots. He has been in Milwaukee for six months.
Still, some fans from outside of Milwaukee’s fanbase took the comments to mean that Lillard was miserable.
NBA Fans Claim Damian Lillard Is Miserable in Milwaukee
Many of the fans that reacted to the report were Miami Heat fans, who thought that their team was going to be the one to acquire Lillard last summer:
he was supposed to be in Miami 💔
— trace (@wakeuptrace) February 28, 2024
Bro is already planning to run from the grind again 😭
— Ethical Hoops🏆 (only takes Ws) (@EthicalHoopz) February 28, 2024
Bro wanted that Miami life and Portland said “get ready to learn charcuterie boards buddy”
— OG Anunoby Addict (@PlayoffBoundNYK) February 28, 2024
Dame wanted that Miami nightlife
— 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙏 𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 (@HeatvsHaters) February 28, 2024
Bro wanted to be in Miami so badly
— Charlie Quinn (@CharlieQuinnMMA) February 28, 2024
he was supposed to be in Miami 💔
— trace (@wakeuptrace) February 28, 2024
He really wishes he could be clubbing in Miami 😢
— Squid (@sikane02) February 28, 2024
But if that is what fans really think, they were going to be disappointed when Lillard clapped back.
Damian Lillard Is “Fine” with the Milwaukee Bucks
Listen, we all know that, sometimes, “fine” does not mean fine. But one has to remember: Lillard is going through a messy divorce and went from seeing his kids every day to not seeing them for weeks at a time. He may be fine sometimes, but (speaking from experience), there are times that he is not. And he would feel that way whether he was in Miami, Boston, Dallas, or even in Portland.
Anyways, Lillard had a message for any fans that think he is miserable in Milwaukee:
https://t.co/k2AOx327JU pic.twitter.com/YkhWont5df
— ³⁴ (@GiannisWorld) February 28, 2024
Blown out of proportion. He’s dealing with some heavy stuff in his personal life and his team has one goal in mind: a NBA Championship. That does not leave much room for a social life.
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