Damian Lillard has built a reputation as one of the most loyal superstars there is in the NBA due him never wanting to part ways with the Trail Blazers for greener pastures. That reputation, however, didn’t stop LeBron James from trying to get him to jump ship.
The Trail Blazers star told The Ringer that he and James ran into each other on the baseline of an Aces vs. Sparks game during the summer of 2021 and then got invited to his home.
“He was just like, ‘Pull up to the house,’” Lillard said in a recent interview with Logan Murdock of The Ringer. “And I’m like, shit, I’m out here. Tomorrow is the only day I ain’t got nothing planned out. I can pull up for a little bit.”
At the time, Lillard was nearing the end of his contract with the Blazers.
Lillard ate dinner at the James estate with LeBron and Anthony Davis.
“I wasn’t even looking at it like a recruiting process,” Lillard added. “The whole time I was like, ‘I play for the Blazers.’ My only point is, let’s give ourselves a chance. I wasn’t sending no shots or sending no threats. I’m just honest. When I get asked a question, I answer the question. Because these questions had never been asked.”
Lillard ultimately decided to stick with the team that selected him with the No. 6 overall pick in 2012.
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“People make a joke out of it sometimes, like, ‘Man, he’s too loyal, he don’t want to win, he just want his money,’” he said. “I don’t take nothing away from those guys. I think a lot of times because of my stance on it, people try to put my stance on it as if I’m belittling or I’m saying something bad about the guys that do move. And I’m not. I’m just standing on my square about what I believe. They can do whatever they want; if that’s what makes them happy, then do it.”
Lillard averaged 24.0 points in 29 games last season while fighting through a worsening abdominal injury.
