Damian Lillard Cites Russell Westbrook's Career in Bold Claim

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Damian Lillard has made it very clear that he is loyal to the Portland Trail Blazers. The superstar point guard would have a real path to championship contention somewhere else, but his loyalty to Portland is something he prioritizes over pursuing a title elsewhere.
In a recent interview with ESPN's Baxter Holmes, Lillard spoke on this loyalty, and used Russell Westbrook's career as an example for why the grass is not always greener on the other side.
"But then you look at Russell Westbrook," Lillard said. "You leave OKC for Houston, then James [Harden] decided he’s leaving, now Russ is traded to D.C., then you get traded from D.C. to the Lakers, now you’re on your fourth team in four years and in your second year on the team, everybody is talking about how they should trade you. Now you’re coming off the bench. This dude is a Hall of Famer, an MVP. It’s an example that the grass isn’t always greener."
Holmes noted that Lillard's comments were made before Westbrook ultimately landed with the LA Clippers, which projects to be a nice pairing.
From Lillard's comments, it is clear that he is happy in Portland. While he would obviously like to win more games, he recognizes that jumping to a new team may not result in the same level of happiness that he has in Portland.
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Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.
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