Kofi Inkoom
Towards the end of September this year, Damian Lillard became a member of the Milwaukee Bucks in a blockbuster transaction, fulfilling the trade request that he had initially made in July.
In a conversation with The Athletic, 33-year-old Lillard discussed his role in facilitating plays for Giannis during their practice sessions with the Milwaukee Bucks and described their partnership as a “Cheat Code” to success.
“So, it’s just different because it was like, that’s a cheat code. To just be able to throw a ball up and have somebody be coordinated enough to hold his guy off, go up, catch it, come down on balance, go up and no dribble, no step and dunk it, you know, over people. So, I mean, it’s … it’s definitely different, man.”
Lillard had another example come to mind.
“There was another play where I was taking it out and he kind of set a screen and he cut to the middle and I kind of zipped it in there in traffic,” Lillard said, acting out Antetokounmpo squaring up to the basket and getting to the rim. “There was hands in there and he caught it, and it’s plays like that where I’m just like, ‘Man.’
Both Antetokounmpo and Lillard, who were absent from Bucks preseason ties against the Chicago Bulls at Fiserv Forum and the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum, are expected to participate in the upcoming game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena this Sunday.
Dame also expressed his desire for an opportunity to win a chip.
“At this stage in my career, I want to win. I want a chance to win, so coming into a situation with a guy as dominant as he is, you know, two-time MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, won a championship, he wants to win too,” he added to teaming up with Giannis, “I think we’re very like-minded when it comes to being a teammate and being unselfish and just doing whatever is necessary.”
7-time NBA All-Star, Damian Lillard was selected as the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.
Throughout his 769 outings for the Blazers, spanning both the Regular Season and eight playoff campaigns, he maintained averages of 25.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.7 assists.
Notably, during the 2022/23 NBA season, he achieved a career peak with averages of 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and an impressive 46.3% field goal percentage. His most extensive playoff run took him to the Western Conference Finals in 2019.