Damian Lillard on Injury Rehab and Title Hopes: ‘My Best is Yet to Come’

Four days after being shut down for the rest of the season by the Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard spoke to Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes on how he’s recovering from his abdominal injury and his future outlook on the team.

“I haven’t had a chance in 10 years to take a step back and let my mind relax and to let my body fully recover and relax and have a true opportunity to ramp up and train and start back with my foundation, who I am as a player and spend time with my family, my kids and my wife. So, I feel strong, mentally and physically,” he said.

“It’s the first time that I can say I was pain-free since maybe 2016, 2017… It’s a good feeling working out the other day, and the coaching staff kept asking what I was thinking about because I had a smile on my face. I was just like, ‘Damn, I got so used to playing with that pain that I didn’t realize how limited I was and how much I was just catering to playing around it,” Lillard said of his abdominal pain.

Although there have been multiple whispers of Lillard’s desire to leave, Dame Dolla made it abundantly clear his heart remains in Portland.

“That’s the only thing I care about, honestly… like I said, my best is yet to come. And the only things that I play for at this point is I want to be the MVP of the league, and I want to win the championship.”