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Damian Lillard Biography: From Oakland to Portland Legend

Daniel Reed
Damian Lillard headshot

Damian Lillard Biography: From Oakland to Portland Legend

Damian Lillard biography: Damian Lamonte Ollie Lillard Sr. is an American professional basketball player and point guard for the Portland Trail Blazers. Born on 15 July 1990 in Oakland, California, he became Portland’s all-time leading scorer, a nine-time NBA All-Star and one of the greatest long-range shooters in league history. After a torn Achilles ended his 2024–25 season, he returned to Portland in July 2025 and, in November 2026, is playing his first full season back — scoring 25 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder on 10 November 2026.

Lillard is back in the headlines because his comeback season is gathering pace. On Tuesday 10 November 2026 he scored a team-high 25 points — including a logo three-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer — as Portland beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 123–103 at the Moda Center, snapping a two-game skid. It was his second 25-point game of the young season, and the two teams meet again on Wednesday 11 November in Portland. The money side of his career is covered in Damian Lillard’s net worth.

Quick facts

  • Full name: Damian Lamonte Ollie Lillard Sr.
  • Born: 15 July 1990, Oakland, California, USA
  • Nationality: American
  • Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
  • Occupation: Professional basketball player (point guard), Portland Trail Blazers
  • Known for: Portland’s all-time leading scorer; nine-time NBA All-Star; “Dame Time” buzzer-beaters; 71-point game in 2023; comeback from a torn Achilles in 2025
  • Spouse: Formerly married to Kay’La Hanson (2021–2024, divorced)
  • Children: Three — son Damian Jr. and twins Kalii and Kali

Early life and background

Damian Lillard was born on 15 July 1990 in Oakland, California, to Houston Lillard Sr. and Gina Johnson, and grew up with siblings Houston Jr. and Lanae. He played high-school basketball in Oakland before taking the less-travelled route to the NBA through Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, where he played from 2008 to 2012. At Weber State he was twice named Big Sky Player of the Year (2010 and 2012), was Big Sky Freshman of the Year in 2009, and averaged 24.5 points per game as a senior — second in the country. Weber State later retired his No. 1 jersey, and Lillard completed his bachelor’s degree in professional sales in 2015.

NBA draft and Portland rise

The Portland Trail Blazers selected Lillard with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, making him the first Weber State player ever drafted in the first round. He won NBA Rookie of the Year in 2013 by unanimous vote and quickly became the face of the franchise. Over eleven seasons in Portland (2012–2023) he was selected to nine All-Star teams, earned seven All-NBA selections — First Team in 2018, Second Team in 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021, Third Team in 2014 and 2023 — and was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in October 2021. He won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA at Tokyo 2020 and became Portland’s all-time leading scorer, passing 19,376 points in a Blazers uniform.

Lillard built his reputation on deep shooting and late-game heroics — the “Dame Time” moments that defined Portland’s playoff runs. His signature regular-season performance came on 26 February 2023, when he scored a career-high 71 points against the Houston Rockets, hitting 13 three-pointers in a 131–114 win. He is fifth all-time in NBA three-pointers made, with 2,804 by the end of the 2025–26 season, and his career averages sit at roughly 25.1 points, 6.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game across more than 900 regular-season games.

Milwaukee years and the Achilles injury

In September 2023, after eleven seasons in Portland, Lillard was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team deal also involving Phoenix. He won the NBA Cup with Milwaukee in 2024 and was named All-Star Game MVP in 2024. But his Milwaukee spell ended in injury. On 25 March 2025 he was ruled out indefinitely with deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot) in his right calf; he was cleared on 17 April and returned for the playoffs, only to tear his left Achilles tendon in Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers on 27 April 2025. The injury ended his season and, it turned out, his time in Milwaukee: in July 2025 the Bucks waived him and stretched the roughly $113 million remaining on his contract over five years, freeing salary room to sign Myles Turner.

The comeback: return to Portland

On 19 July 2025, Lillard signed a three-year deal worth about $42 million to return to Portland, with a no-trade clause and a player option for 2027–28. He missed the entire 2025–26 season rehabbing the Achilles, and in August 2025 he was also named general manager of Weber State men’s basketball, his alma mater. He even won his third NBA Three-Point Contest title on 14 February 2026, while still rehabbing, beating Devin Booker 29–27 in the final at All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles. His regular-season return came on 21 October 2026, in Portland’s season opener against the Phoenix Suns: 25 points, six three-pointers and six assists in 24 minutes of a 124–83 rout — his first appearance in a Blazers uniform since 22 March 2023. Through his first nine games of the 2026–27 season he is averaging 19.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, and his 25-point night against Oklahoma City on 10 November 2026 — capped by that logo three at the third-quarter buzzer — was the clearest sign yet that “Dame Time” is back in Portland. Fellow NBA guard Payton Pritchard is another point guard whose career path readers often compare with Lillard’s.

Personal life

Lillard met Kay’La Hanson at Weber State, and the pair married on 4 September 2021 in Montecito, California. They have three children: son Damian Jr., born 29 March 2018, and twins Kalii Laheem and Kali Emma Lee, born 21 January 2021. Lillard filed for divorce in October 2023, one week after the trade to Milwaukee, citing irreconcilable differences; the divorce was finalised in 2024, and the pair co-parent their children. Away from basketball, Lillard performs as a rapper under the name Dame D.O.L.L.A., a sideline he has pursued since early in his NBA career.

Net worth snapshot

Damian Lillard’s net worth is most commonly estimated at $140 million, with published estimates ranging from $100 million to $200 million. The figure rests on more than $364 million in NBA salary collected to date, a reported 10-year, $100 million adidas deal from 2014 and a lifetime adidas contract signed in April 2024. There is no Forbes or Bloomberg net-worth figure for Lillard. The full breakdown is in Damian Lillard’s net worth.

Frequently asked questions

How old is Damian Lillard?

Damian Lillard is 36 years old. He was born on 15 July 1990 in Oakland, California.

What team does Damian Lillard play for in 2026?

Damian Lillard plays for the Portland Trail Blazers. He returned to Portland in July 2025 on a three-year deal after two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, and the 2026–27 season is his first full season back.

How many All-Star selections does Damian Lillard have?

Damian Lillard is a nine-time NBA All-Star, selected in 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025. He was named All-Star Game MVP in 2024.

What happened to Damian Lillard’s Achilles?

Lillard tore his left Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the 2025 playoffs against the Indiana Pacers on 27 April 2025. He missed the entire 2025–26 season rehabbing and returned to NBA action in Portland’s season opener on 21 October 2026.

Is Damian Lillard married?

No. Lillard was married to Kay’La Hanson from September 2021 until their divorce was finalised in 2024. They have three children together and co-parent them.

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