Damian Lillard cleared the air on what it was like for him to play next to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Damian Lillard Makes Feelings on Giannis Antetokounmpo Clear After Leaving Bucks originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Milwaukee Bucks waived Damian Lillard this offseason after he spent the past two seasons with the team. When the Bucks acquired Lillard, there were high expectations that he and Giannis Antetokounmpo could bring the Bucks another title.
However, that never came to fruition. The Bucks did not see much success from the duo and never made it out of the first round of the NBA playoffs. Antetokounmpo missed the playoffs in 2024 because of a calf injury. Lillard didn't play for most of the postseason in 2025 because of a blood clot and then a torn Achilles.
The two won an NBA cup in 2024, but that was the extent of their success. The Bucks didn't have the success with Lillard that they had before acquiring him in September 2023. With Lillard committing to the Portland Trail Blazers for the next three years, the two may never play together again.
With Lillard back on the Trail Blazers, he opened up on his time playing with Antetokounmpo while talking with Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Jim Owczarski. Despite their failures, Lillard made it clear how much he loved playing next to the two-time MVP.
"I thought it was a great experience, man," Lillard said. "It was a great experience. I think more than anything, just the luxury of playing with a player as great as him. And having those nights where I can show up and he’s gonna carry a lot of the load, and he might be feeling it that night, and we can win a game with me scoring 12 points. So just the luxury of having him on your team was a special thing. And also going into games and knowing like, no matter what happens, I’m playing with a dude where we can combine and beat anybody. As a tandem, we can go out here and we can actually; how people say 'man, one person can’t beat a team,' like, 'he ain’t gonna beat you by himself,' or you might be able to beat a team on a back-to-back at home or have a big game and they just can’t stop you, I’ve done that plenty of times."
Damian Lillard reflects on Bucks tenure: Injuries, favorite moments, playing with Giannis https://t.co/82Gh290TKa
— Journal Sentinel (@journalsentinel) July 25, 2025
In his first season with the Bucks, Lillard averaged 24.3 points, seven assists and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 42.4% from the field and 35.4% from 3. In his second season, he averaged 24.9 points, 7.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 44.8% from the field and 37.6% from 3.
Related: Giannis Antetokounmpo Sends Strong Message This Weekend
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
