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Lillard writes lengthy thank-you letter to Portland: 'Dame Time has run out'

Dame Time is officially over in Portland.

One day after being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, NBA superstar Damian Lillard wrote a lengthy thank-you letter to the city of Portland.

The seven-time All-Star spent 13 seasons with the Trail Blazers, and it was clearly an emotional move for the 33-year-old guard.

"Dear Rip City," Lillard's letter started. "I want to start off by saying this isn't goodbye, it's a see you later. My words have always been from the heart when it comes to you Rip City. I consider you my home as well as many of my family members and that won't change."

The long-time Blazer then went on to thank a number of different people in the organization, as well as all his former teammates.

Lillard ended the letter by apologizing for never bringing an NBA Championship to Portland, but also didn't rule out the possibility of one day returning.

"Even in this moment I feel sad that we never accomplished what I so badly wanted to," Lillard wrote. "... I do believe a day will come where I put a Blazers uniform on again, and hopefully by then I'll be forgiven for breaking your hearts along with mine."

Lillard was beloved in Portland, but the speculation about his future with the team only intensified when the Blazers took point guard Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 overall pick in the June draft rather than package the pick for a proven commodity that could immediately help transform the team into a contender.

Portland won only four playoff series in Lillard’s 11 seasons, getting to the Western Conference Finals once. The team went 33-49 this past season, the second consecutive year of finishing well outside the playoff picture.

That’s not Lillard’s fault. His career average of 25.2 points per game ranks 11th among all players in NBA history who have appeared in at least 500 games. He’s had 17 games of at least 50 points in his career — two of them in the playoffs — and is a past rookie of the year, teammate of the year and winner of the NBA’s citizenship award.

He’s been an Olympic gold medalist, was the unanimous selection as MVP of the seeding games when the “bubble” season resumed at Walt Disney World during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and even won the 3-point contest at All-Star weekend in February.

And he has an absolute flair for drama. His series-winning shot to eliminate Oklahoma City from the 2019 NBA playoffs — a stepback 3-pointer over Paul George from nearly 40 feet as time expired — is one of the iconic post-season moments in not just Portland history but NBA history as well.

He will now have a chance to finally capture an NBA title with fellow superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee.

— With files from the Associated Press

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