Catlin Gabel reacts to the first season without Damian Lillard in 11 years

By Chip Downes-Le Guin ‘25

On Sept. 27th, 2023, former Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian “Dame” Lillard was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Deandre Ayton, Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, and a first-round draft pick.

Lillard had been an icon of the Portland Trailblazers for 11 seasons, first being drafted by the Blazers as the 6th overall pick in 2012 out of Weber State, and eventually becoming the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.

For Blazers fans at Catlin Gabel School (CGS), like junior Charlie Broad Lillard “meant everything.”

For junior Ben Halvorson, Lillard was an important part of his Blazers fandom as well. He said, “I haven’t always been a strong, intense fan, but I’ve always had an appreciation for the team.” He added, “I first got interested in the team by watching them on TV with my dad.” From there, the process of picking his favorite players was short: “Dame was always the best.”

For Broad, Lillard’s absence represented a part of his childhood leaving as well. He stated, “My father brought me up as a sports fan and for as long as I can remember I’ve been a Blazers fan.” He added, “[The Blazers have] been kind of a way in life that I can bond with my father and friends.”

One of these bonding experiences with his father came last season during Lillard’s historic 71-point performance. “I was sitting there at home, watching the game with my father, I wasn’t thinking much of the game, they [were] playing the Rockets who, you know, are not the brightest team. But then, he just started cooking, man.”

He added, “It just felt like he had so many heat checks [slang for an unnecessarily difficult shot when a player is feeling “hot”], he would just step one foot in from the half-court line and just [shoot it].” He described it further: “It was probably one of the most fun games I’ve ever watched because you just were rooting for him to score.”

Halvorson described one of his favorite Lillard moments in detail as well: “The Blazers, I believe, were up 3-1 against the Thunder. The game was tied and Dame had the ball with seven seconds left. He was deep, crossing over, and sidestepped [a series of dribble moves] to the announcers' side and it went in and everyone went crazy.”

While describing the importance of this shot, Halvorson stated “What it really did is it brought some attention to Portland for once. Dame’s kind of been this underground player for so long in a smaller market, not really getting the credit he deserved. I think he finally got the credit he deserved after that shot and it sort of brought light to the franchise as a whole.”

Broad also underscored Lillard’s importance to the city: “he loved Portland, which is so uncharacteristic of famous Portland teams like the Jailblazers.” He added, “I love that he had a lot of love for the city and the fans and just how good of a guy he was.”

In addition to basketball, Lillard was also known for his involvement in the Portland community through work like The Lillard Foundation, an organization “focused on nurturing both athletic and personal growth among Oregon’s youth”, the RESPECT program, and the Black Lives Matter protests.

But with all of this success and a whole city behind him, why was it Lillard that requested a trade over the summer?

In Broad’s eyes, “it was the management and Dame not being on the same page which ultimately led to his leave.” He further stated “There was a lack of initiative from the old GM [general manager], Neil Olshey, who really wasn’t doing it. Dame was known for his loyalty, but you can only be so loyal to a team that wasn’t providing what his needs were.”

It was this lack of initiative that was why many Blazers fans were not shocked when Lillard requested a trade.

Broad spoke on his reaction stating “I was not very surprised or mad when he announced that he would request a trade because I was like, he’s doing what’s right for him.” He added “There’s no criticism. I’m sure most Blazers fans, like myself, we always have love for Dame for what he did for the city.”

Despite Lillard’s absence, Trail Blazers fans have continued to go to games, filling up the stadium even more than last year (although that number is likely to go down as the season progresses).

For Halvorson, Dame's absence has been a sort of blessing in disguise: “I’m watching more. I’ve already been to two games this year, the tickets are quite cheap, and we have some new young talent, Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson.”

Halvorson continued stating “I think in the next year or two we'll see the new face of the Blazers who will take on that new Dame role as a leader for the city, especially in a city that doesn’t have many sports. The Blazers are what brings everyone together.”