Damian Lillard played his first competitive basketball in 16 months on Tuesday night. The 36-year-old scored 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting in 19 minutes as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Golden State Warriors 123-118 in their preseason opener on October 13. It was his first game since the first round of the 2025 playoffs.

Head coach Micah Nori was asked afterward what Lillard looked like.

“If I never knew Dame Lillard, and I came into the building and just started watching them play basketball, I would not be able to tell he had any type of surgery,” he told reporters.

“He looks phenomenal. Every time I see him shoot the ball, I think it’s going in.”

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Portland over a payday

Lillard signed a three-year, $42 million contract to return to Portland on July 17, 2025, while still rehabbing. The deal includes a player option for 2027-28 and a no-trade clause. He and LeBron James are the only NBA players with a true no-trade clause.

The money is a fraction of what Milwaukee had been paying him on his super-max. The clause means Portland cannot move him on, and he cannot be shuffled off a rebuild if the season drifts.

Lillard was originally the sixth overall pick in 2012 and spent 11 years with Portland before being traded to Milwaukee. He is still the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.

A ruptured Achilles in April

The tear came in the Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers in April 2025. Lillard missed the entire 2025-26 season while rehabilitating, and Milwaukee waived him that summer.

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Across 13 NBA seasons he has averaged 25.1 points and 6.7 assists.

A new backcourt with Ja Morant

Portland’s offseason revolved around pairing Lillard with Ja Morant. The preseason opener was their first competitive game together, with Morant adding 8 points and 5 assists in 19 minutes.

Lillard said he was willing to share the ball.

“If I get the ball and I’m advancing the ball ahead to Ja Morant, I feel pretty good about it,” he said.

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On his workload, he added: “I’m capable of doing whatever I need to do. But at this stage, I don’t think I need to kill myself in the regular season, trying to play 37, 36, 35 minutes if it’s unnecessary.”

Toumani Camara watched Lillard work through the summer and said the burst that defines his game was back.

“I think the most impressive thing for me was his first step, his speed, especially coming back from that injury. He was just very hard to guard all around,” Camara said.

The Trail Blazers open the regular season against the Phoenix Suns on October 21.

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