What a (Dame) time to be alive

Damian Lillard's watch in Portland has ended. But his legacy will only grow.

After 11 years, a global pandemic, the election of a reality TV star as president that led to an insurrection, more broken Blazers limbs, more torn Blazers tendons, and the cheers of the Rip City faithful, the Damian Lillard era of Portland Trail Blazers basketball ended on a private airstrip in Portland, Oregon, on the last day of September 2023.

His destination: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for a welcome rally and a chance at a ring with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

He left Portland in black and red. By the time he arrived in Milwaukee, he arrived with his kids in matching green Adidas sweatsuits. He even got some extra work in, because Dame Time transcends time zones.

There will be plenty of time to talk about what awaits Chauncey Billups, Joe Cronin, Scoot Henderson, and those who are left. But today, we remember.

The 11 years that preceded Dame’s arrival in Portland hadn’t been kind. No star player could stay upright. Playoff journeys routinely ended in the first round. Even the first part of Dame’s career included some of the same. Injuries ruined hopes. All-Star teammates decided it was time to leave before his prime. And somehow, every single night, you always had a chance. Because your team had Dame.

It was a lot more fun than constantly pointing to the injury report. The night he screamed “Rip City” into the microphone after the Houston shot is what comes to mind as a turning point. I filed the final draft of my game story for The Columbian. And then I met up with my friends, and we proceeded to stay up all night and kept rewatching the shot as the sun came up. I don’t think anyone in Portland slept that night. I know I didn’t.

Up 17 with under four minutes left? You still had a chance to get sent home with an L before regulation. To me, that is Dame Time.

In the Lillard Era, Rip City was revived. He gave everyone a chip on their shoulder. And the confidence that Portland’s opponents would have to eat it. After a messy summer of trade rumors and contention, he has a real chance to contend that his Blazers teams could only settle for in hypothetical fashion.

What if Wesley Matthews didn’t tear his Achilles in 2015? What if Jusuf Nurkic didn’t break his leg in 2019? What if the 2017 Draft hadn’t been such a colossal swing and miss? And to see him get a chance at a ring with the Blazers’ former head coach Terry Stotts, who was unfairly scapegoated for the shortcomings of the roster, now Milwaukee’s lead assistant coach, is the kind of consolation Blazers fans can get behind.

Now Lillard is with Giannis, the once-hypothetical unicorn who became a two-time MVP and champion. There are no more what-ifs. No more recognition via Photoshop. All hustle and a real MVP next to him. As well as a coach who knows how to play to his strengths and isn’t afraid to do it.

It’s heartbreaking that it couldn’t happen here. In his farewell letter, he talked about breaking Portland’s heart and his own. Time and space will help both sides heal. But today, as I reminisce over him, it’s hard to forget that look in his eyes when the money was on the line.

The focus. The concrete brow in the face of long odds. The rolling boil that never spilled over. If Brandon Roy could cook, Dame was the pressure cooker.

Steve Nash got burned right away by the steam. And soon after that, the rest of the NBA felt the heat. And he did it all the while repping for Rip City as proudly as anyone who came before him.

I’m glad B-Roy is back repping the Blazers again. The lottery appearance felt like an important moment. But even at his peak, it always felt like he belonged to the city up north. Dame? Dame is from Oakland, but that guy is Portland AF.

Chillin’ out with Schonz (RIP) at Standard & TV and Appliance. Being an advocate for the Special Olympics. Marching with the city mid-pandemic to protest police violence. Passive aggressively tweeting about the service at Bamboo Sushi and proper manners on the road. This dude is fucking PORTLAND.

I’m sure when Media Day comes on Monday, I will be excited for both Dame and the Blazers to start fresh.

But today, as I feel the emotions for 11 years of this thing we do, I’m gonna miss it. More than anything, I’ll miss the feeling that you could never look away. The anxiety that you could miss something memorable to talk about with all your friends the next day.

The new Blazers will surely excite at some point. But there’s no replacing what the franchise lost. As Ferris Buehler said, life moves pretty fast. I’m just thankful I stopped and looked at the Dame Era. I feel for the people who missed it. Even more, I feel for those who couldn’t understand what they were seeing.

But as our culture and technology continue to center nostalgia as our main language, I have no doubt that his legacy will only become greater.

As for me, I’ll always remember Dame as the guy who let an overzealous intern ask him whether he was worried about attacking Derrick Favors before a preseason game. His response, before anyone even knew about “Dame Time,” was that it didn’t matter who he faced, he was going to play his game.

And for 11 years, he did it for the Blazers.

What a time to be alive.