In his own words, Damian Lillard said that his first season with the Milwaukee Bucks was a “rollercoaster.” The eight-time summed it up perfectly after going through a whole lot of ups and downs in his debut campaign with the Bucks.

Mar 21, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) looks on during a timeout in the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Apart from proving to the basketball world that he is still one of the top point guards in the entire NBA, what Dame is most proud of is the way he faced adversity throughout the season.

Milwaukee Bucks News: Damian Lillard Gets Real on Difficult Season

Apr 26, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) dribbles the ball during game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Lillard acknowledged the fact that his 2023-24 campaign was anything but smooth sailing. However, this is also exactly why he is proud of himself for the way he handled it all:

“It was a lot for me to fight through, but I take a lot of pride in standing tall when things don’t go as planned or go how I would like them to go,” he said, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I always want to look back and tell myself that as a man. When I didn’t play well, and things didn’t go how I might’ve expected it to go when I was going through some things, whether people knew about it or not, I stood tall in it. I never made an excuse or nothing like that. It was a long year of that for me. Just a lot of growth. A lot of getting used to new things.”

Apr 5, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) drives to the basket against Toronto Raptors in the second half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports
Apart from adjusting to a new team and playing alongside a superstar teammate, Lillard also went through a nasty divorce and custody battle with his estranged wife. Health also became a concern for Dame, particularly at the tail end of the season as he battled through an Achilles injury throughout their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers.

All the adversity is what makes Damian Lillard who he is, though. This man has been through a lot in his life and in his career, and as he said, he’s stood tall through it all.
Mar 10, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates with guard Damian Lillard (0) after defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 124-117 at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

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