No. 1 – Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard has had a career that is nothing short of spectacular. The 11-year NBA veteran has played his entire career with the Trail Blazers and has been an integral part of their success.
As of this writing, Lillard is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, with over 19,000 points.
When asked if he should be considered the greatest Blazer player ever, he responded, “I think the body of work is there for that claim to be made by other people, but it’s not for me to say.”
Lillard’s on-court success speaks for itself. He is among the top 100 all time in the NBA in both assists and scoring, and he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
Lillard was drafted sixth overall out of Weber State in the 2012 NBA Draft and won Rookie of the Year. He has been selected to the NBA All-Star Game seven times. He has career averages of 25 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal on 44/37/90 shooting splits.
Lillard is one of the best shooters in the league and won the 3-point shooting contest this season. He is currently having a career year at age 32, averaging 32 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. As a result, Lillard should be in consideration for First-Team All-NBA at the guard position.
Despite never having a finals appearance like Drexler’s two, Lillard has taken advantage of his opportunities to make a deep run in the playoffs. He is also known as “Dame Time” because he has a reputation for being a clutch player.
The biggest shot of his career came in the 2018-19 season when he hit a ridiculous game-winning three from the logo to cap off a 50-point performance and knock the Oklahoma City Thunder out of the playoffs.
Lillard has had a legendary career with the Blazers. He wears the “letter O” on his jersey to represent Oregon, and the state is fortunate to have him. One day, the “letter O” jersey will hang alongside the other Blazers legends in the rafters.