Point guard Damian Lillard has become the Portland Trail Blazers’ all-time leading scorer, passing Clyde Drexler’s record of 18,040 points in 867 games.

Lillard scored 28 points during the Trail Blazers’ 121-123 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, thereby taking his tally to 18,048. Although disappointed to lose the game, Lillard exhibited his satisfaction with achieving this feat, receiving a standing ovation from the fans at the Paycom Center once the public address announcer informed the crowd of his achievement.

“It’s a great feeling to reach the top,” Lillard exclaimed. “It’s been a goal of mine, and the list has so many players, great history of our organization, so to finally be No. 1 is a special accomplishment that I’m proud of.”

Playing in his 730th game for the Trail Blazers at the time of his achievement, Lillard has been on the team for the entirety of his NBA career. He was selected as the sixth overall pick by the Trail Blazers in the 2012 draft.

Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin thanked Lillard for his hard work and dedication to the team, adding that he looks forward to seeing his future progress.

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The Portland Trail Blazers are doubling down on their commitment to superstar guard Damian Lillard. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Lillard and Blazers agreed to a two-year extension that is worth $122 million.

With the extension in place, Lillard is now under contract with Portland through the 2026-27 season. The last year of his deal is reportedly a player option. He is set to earn $137 million in the next three years before the extension kicks in.

Around the same time last year, it seemed that Lillard was closer to leaving the Blazers than staying in Portland. The franchise has underperformed, and there was a sense the Blazers would rather trade their star player than offer him a new contract that will pay him around $60 million when he’s 35. However, the lack of deals to be made and the risk of alienating their fan base prevailed, and the Blazers are not all-in on Lillard, for better or worse.

Damian Lillard had a testing 2021-22 season that saw him play only 29 games before being shut down with an abdominal injury. The time he did spend on the court saw him average 24.0 points, which was his lowest since 2014 while shooting a career-low 40.2 percent from the field and 32.4 percent behind the three-point line.

The Blazers went to tanking mode after Lillard’s injury and missed the playoffs, but there were several positives for the franchise. Their young guard Anfernee Simons got an opportunity to shine and develop into a valuable contributor, while Portland also got a high pick in the 2022 NBA Draft that they used to select highly-rated small forward Shaedon Sharpe.

The post Blazers Ink Superstar Damian Lillard to a 2-Year, $122 Million Extension appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Things have turned from bad to worse for the struggling Portland Trail Blazers. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Blazers superstar Damian Lillard is expected to undergo surgery that could sideline him between six and eight weeks.

Lillard aggravated an abdominal injury back in the summer while playing for Team USA and never fully recovered. The injury has been a lingering issue for the All-Star guard in the 2021-22 NBA season and caused his production to take a significant dip. After weighing his options, Lillard decided to have the procedure as he believes this will give him the best chance to return to the All-NBA form from last season.

Windhorst added in his report that the surgery date and timetable for Lillard’s return would be determined by the end of the week following further medical consultations.

If the reports turn out to be accurate, then we might not see Damian Lillard play again this season. The Trail Blazers are already in the lottery with a 16-24 record, and it’s hard to see them turning things around without Lillard. Once he returns, it will probably be too late for any postseason push, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Portland decides to shut down their best player and turn focus to 2022-23.

Lillard averaged 24.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per contest in 29 games he played this season. While these would be more than solid numbers, they are well below the bar Lillard set in recent years. He also struggled with efficiency, shooting career lows from the floor (40.2 percent) and beyond the arc (32.4 percent).

The post Blazers Superstar Damian Lillard Expected to Have Surgery appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Point guard Damian Lillard has become the Portland Trail Blazers’ all-time leading scorer, passing Clyde Drexler’s record of 18,040 points in 867 games.

Lillard scored 28 points during the Trail Blazers’ 121-123 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, thereby taking his tally to 18,048. Although disappointed to lose the game, Lillard exhibited his satisfaction with achieving this feat, receiving a standing ovation from the fans at the Paycom Center once the public address announcer informed the crowd of his achievement.

“It’s a great feeling to reach the top,” Lillard exclaimed. “It’s been a goal of mine, and the list has so many players, great history of our organization, so to finally be No. 1 is a special accomplishment that I’m proud of.”

Playing in his 730th game for the Trail Blazers at the time of his achievement, Lillard has been on the team for the entirety of his NBA career. He was selected as the sixth overall pick by the Trail Blazers in the 2012 draft.

Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin thanked Lillard for his hard work and dedication to the team, adding that he looks forward to seeing his future progress.

The post Damian Lillard Becomes Trail Blazers’ All-Time Leading Scorer appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Portland Trail Blazers are doubling down on their commitment to superstar guard Damian Lillard. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Lillard and Blazers agreed to a two-year extension that is worth $122 million.

With the extension in place, Lillard is now under contract with Portland through the 2026-27 season. The last year of his deal is reportedly a player option. He is set to earn $137 million in the next three years before the extension kicks in.

Around the same time last year, it seemed that Lillard was closer to leaving the Blazers than staying in Portland. The franchise has underperformed, and there was a sense the Blazers would rather trade their star player than offer him a new contract that will pay him around $60 million when he’s 35. However, the lack of deals to be made and the risk of alienating their fan base prevailed, and the Blazers are not all-in on Lillard, for better or worse.

Damian Lillard had a testing 2021-22 season that saw him play only 29 games before being shut down with an abdominal injury. The time he did spend on the court saw him average 24.0 points, which was his lowest since 2014 while shooting a career-low 40.2 percent from the field and 32.4 percent behind the three-point line.

The Blazers went to tanking mode after Lillard’s injury and missed the playoffs, but there were several positives for the franchise. Their young guard Anfernee Simons got an opportunity to shine and develop into a valuable contributor, while Portland also got a high pick in the 2022 NBA Draft that they used to select highly-rated small forward Shaedon Sharpe.

The post Blazers Ink Superstar Damian Lillard to a 2-Year, $122 Million Extension appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Things have turned from bad to worse for the struggling Portland Trail Blazers. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Blazers superstar Damian Lillard is expected to undergo surgery that could sideline him between six and eight weeks.

Lillard aggravated an abdominal injury back in the summer while playing for Team USA and never fully recovered. The injury has been a lingering issue for the All-Star guard in the 2021-22 NBA season and caused his production to take a significant dip. After weighing his options, Lillard decided to have the procedure as he believes this will give him the best chance to return to the All-NBA form from last season.

Windhorst added in his report that the surgery date and timetable for Lillard’s return would be determined by the end of the week following further medical consultations.

If the reports turn out to be accurate, then we might not see Damian Lillard play again this season. The Trail Blazers are already in the lottery with a 16-24 record, and it’s hard to see them turning things around without Lillard. Once he returns, it will probably be too late for any postseason push, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Portland decides to shut down their best player and turn focus to 2022-23.

Lillard averaged 24.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per contest in 29 games he played this season. While these would be more than solid numbers, they are well below the bar Lillard set in recent years. He also struggled with efficiency, shooting career lows from the floor (40.2 percent) and beyond the arc (32.4 percent).

The post Blazers Superstar Damian Lillard Expected to Have Surgery appeared first on SportzBonanza.