Damian Lillard joined the Milwaukee Bucks after spending 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. The All-Star guard admitted that the adjustment hasn’t been easy off the court.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated‘s Chris Mannix, Lillard called moving to Milwaukee without his family “a real transition.”
“Being away from my kids is tough,” Lillard said. “In Portland, my life was set up. My mom was down the street; my brother was the other way down the street. My sister was down the street. My kids in school. Just my whole life was set up perfectly right there. It was a great situation. So just leaving that behind alone is a lot. And then you add the basketball side to it, and that is what it is.”
Lillard conceded that he’s “definitely lonely” away from his family and friends.
“My life is my family,” he explained. “After games, I would come out and my whole family would be back there. My kids coming out of the playroom. My mom, my brother, my cousins lived there, you know what I mean? My best friends live in Portland. So I would come out, we would go to dinner. They might come to my house. After practice, I might go to my mom’s house and just chill. That’s how my life was. So, I mean, I’m fine because I’m grown. But it’s definitely lonely. I’m filled up by those people.”
Lillard said his life in Milwaukee consists of going to practice, playing video games, and watching boxing clips.
“Seriously, I don’t have much of a life,” Lillard said. “But that’s what comes with making a big boy decision.”
Lillard made personal sacrifices in hopes of winning a title alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the change hasn’t been too smooth in pure basketball terms either. The Bucks fired Adrian Griffin despite a 30-13 start, only to go 8-8 since replacing the head coach with Doc Rivers.
Milwaukee is third in the Eastern Conference standings, trailing the top-seeded Boston Celtics by 8.5 games.
Lillard called his new surroundings a “work in progress,” but he still believes the Bucks can elevate to championship aspirations.