With nine All-Star selections, seven All-NBA honors, a Rookie of the Year award, and a spot on the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, Damian Lillard's resume speaks for itself. Of course, the only thing missing from that impressive resume is a championship. But Lillard's missing ring shouldn't be the make-or-break factor in defining his Hall of Fame legacy.
Three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade puts it best on his podcast, Wy Network by Dwyane Wade:
"Dame's legacy in the NBA will be way bigger than a championship," Wade said. "And I think every player that comes through this league, legacy is not just built on winning a championship, and we gotta stop doping that."
"Yes, if you're one of the greatest, if you want to be in that top 75, you want to be up there with the GOATs -- yes, championships are a part of this game. But that doesn't mean every player that comes through that is great at this game has to walk away with a championship for their legacy to be stamped. And so Dame, to me, is one of those players that, if he never sniffs a championship, it doesn't change the fact that Dame is a bad (expletive). His legacy in Portland is stamped, and what he does from this point on is even more legacy building."
Lillard's championship window is closing, but his legacy is already solidified
Portland Trail Blazers fans and those who have extensively followed Lillard throughout his career know that any playoff shortcomings were largely beyond his control. It was more about the lackluster roster Portland consistently failed to surround him with, which ultimately led to his trade request -- something that likely would've happened much earlier in his career had any other superstar been in the same situation.
After two disappointing seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks that resulted in consecutive first-round playoff exits, Lillard now returns home on a three-year, $42 million deal. Between his contracts with Milwaukee and Portland, he's now set to be the highest-paid player in 2025-26 at $70 million. Not a bad gig for someone who could miss the entire season and now gets to rehab close to his family in Portland.
Still, Lillard is adamant that his return to Portland was also a basketball decision.
"We play basketball, and you want to win basketball games. A lot of people may look at it as a family decision, and obviously, anybody would have their family be a part of a decision that they make. But this was just as much a basketball decision," Lillard said, via Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report.
It's true that Lillard is walking into a roster that is significantly improved from the one he left two seasons ago; it's also much better equipped to complement his strengths and weaknesses as a player. But at the same time, there had to have been much better basketball options out there for Lillard, who is already 35 years old and finds himself taking a gap year on a team coming off a 36-win season that exceeded expectations.
Teams like the Boston Celtics would've given Lillard a significantly better shot at winning that first title. It's unrealistic to expect him to win at that level in Portland during his remaining years, as his championship window and the Blazers' rebuilding timeline don't align.
Even if that's the case, Wade is right: it shouldn't drastically alter Lillard's standing among the NBA greats. He's already proven to be one of the best offensive guards ever to play. And he may already be the greatest Blazer of all time anyway.