ALL-STAR GAME

February 18, 2024

Damian Lillard

Eastern Conference

Press Conference

East 211, West 186

Q. Congratulations.

DAMIAN LILLARD: Appreciate it.

Q. I guess how symbolic was it, to a degree, that your first made three was from the logo? How did that sort of translate into what you did tonight?

DAMIAN LILLARD: You've just got to keep shooting the ball. I think, in a game like this, you know it's going to be pretty loose, and you're going to get your opportunities. Being in the starting lineup, I knew I'd play longer stretches, get more minutes.

I just told myself I'm going to be aggressive, and I'm going to keep firing. I saw a couple go in. After that, it was just like I'm going after it. So that was it.

Q. So you must have got pretty loose for the two half-courters? You were feeling pretty loose at that point?

DAMIAN LILLARD: The first one, I was super, super loose. Then the last one, I was actually kind of stiff. So I just had to shoot it a little bit higher. I got two of them in.

Q. You had mentioned that this is cool for you getting your first start, being here with a teammate, and kind of being able to show Giannis, yep, this is how people around the league view me. What do you feel like this weekend accomplished overall?

DAMIAN LILLARD: I think overall it's just our lockers are next to each other's. When you go somewhere outside of your team with a teammate, you usually naturally turn to each other more, just a lot of conversation. We're sharing our own experience away from this when we get around other groups.

Our coach was the coach. So a lot of our staff was around the whole time. I think it was just a positive weekend for us because we just had a lot of interactions. We were able to have conversations about where our team has been lately and what we want to do, how we can help each other better.

I think, when you can break away from not only the season and have All-Star break, but also break away from the team and us be able to just be man to man and kind of just bond like that, it's always helpful.

Like you said, me being able to come here and see how he's viewed around the league and him also to be able to come here and see how I'm viewed around the league. I think that just helps with any type of dynamic when you're trying to accomplish what we're trying to accomplish.

Q. Dame, congrats on the double trophy weekend. There were like a million records tonight. I heard you say in the TV interview that you guys wanted the scoring record. You know the league had been talking about wanting this game to be more competitive. It seemed like you guys enjoyed this too. Is this what it should be? Is this what an All-Star Game should be? Do you think the fans enjoyed it? How much do you enjoy seeing a 2 up there on the scoreboard for the first time probably ever?

DAMIAN LILLARD: I think people who are fans of the game, they love it. They enjoy being entertained. I think it could be more competitive. I think in our game right now it's such a fast-paced game. We play a lot of games. The game has probably also had more injuries than it's ever had.

Trying to manage everybody, trying to protect yourself and not get injured and take away from what you ultimately want to accomplish, I think is something we prioritize. But it's a lot that goes on when you come here for this game.

Usually our preparation to get ready to compete, it looks a lot different than it looks when we come here. This weekend was a lot better than the past, but I think when the game is any type of loose, if it's not a game where you've got a scouting report and you're locked in and a lot is on the line, then guys who are too talented, are going to make a lot of threes. That's the kind of game it's going to be.

I think 200 is a lot to be scored. It just shows that we didn't go out there and compete like I guess you would want us to or whoever would want us to. But I think that's just what it is. Guys are talented. Make a lot of shots. We hit a lot of threes, and that was it.

Q. Dame, you're the only other guy in league history, besides Michael Jordan, to win an event on Saturday night and follow it up with league MVP. First of all, what's it like being in a one of two category with MJ? Furthermore, considering all the change you've been through this year, was there any extra set of validation to this weekend?

DAMIAN LILLARD: Any time you're mentioned in the same category as Mike, it's an honor, and it's a major accomplishment, even if it's All-Star Weekend. If it was that simple, more people would have done it since 1988. So that's a major compliment for me to be mentioned in the same conversation as far as that.

Like you said, it's been a tough year, just the transition, being on a new team. We've had three coaches since I've been there. We've had coaches leave. Moving across the country. I've been on the West Coast my whole life with my whole family right there, just a tight group always in place.

I think any time you have these types of experiences where you have an adversity and things not just flowing like you expect it to or like you would want it to, I think that's the time you've got to just show who you really are. You've got to keep doing what you do, keep believing. When you do that, usually it comes back to you. There's some type of reward that comes forward.

You can't just fold. And that's what my mentality is. I did come into the weekend, when I knew I was going to do the 3-Point, I was like I'm going to try to win. I'm not going to be casual and cool about it. I'm going to try to win again.

And I'm going to come into the All-Star Game, my first start, I know I'm going to be on the floor a lot. I'm a vet in the game at this point. Why not go and try to get an MVP? Since I've been here enough.

I saw the ball go in, and I started to do that. But I wouldn't say it was validation. It's just something I put my mind on, and that's going to be what my intentions are this weekend, and I was able to do it.

Q. To follow up on before, Adam Silver said yesterday he expected it to be a good game. There was a lot of discussion about it being more competitive. Do you think that was a good game? If not, is there anything that can realistically be done to change it? Or is it the middle of the season, guys want to stay healthy, it is what it is?

DAMIAN LILLARD: I think something could be done about it. I'm not sure what, but I think there's a way to make it a more competitive game. I don't think anybody is going to play in it like it's the playoffs, but it's a way to get guys to come to the table and just play a more solid game, I guess.

But I did think it was a good game. Any time the crowd is engaged and you're hearing oohs and aahs and things like that because, if the crowd isn't enjoying what they're seeing, they're not going to say nothing. I've seen it. They'll just sit there and watch.

I thought it was enough moments to be excited about and enjoy watching. But it was probably too much leak-out, go get a dunk, go get a layup type of moments. If we could limit those, people wouldn't feel the way they feel sometimes about it, if we could just try to limit it. It's going to happen sometimes, but it probably can't happen as much.

Q. Dame, is there a moment to reflect? It feels like the All-Star Game is kind of like an in-between point, between one half of the season and the second one. Is there a moment to reflect on a weekend like this with all the events? What's something you're looking forward to just the second part of the season?

DAMIAN LILLARD: I think this is the most success I've probably had in one All-Star Weekend. Had a few launches with some of my partners, won the 3-Point, won the All-Star Game MVP. So it's been a successful weekend. I think any time you get to be a part of this, that's what anybody would want.

You want to come here and have success, so I had that. It's just been a good break. Just being around my family, being able to just do the things that I've always done.

But going forward, it's just like you've got to recharge and get ready for the closing stretch and try to just get our team to where we need to be so we can go after what we want to accomplish this season.