Damian Lillard becomes Blazer’s all-time leading scorer

Monday’s NBA slate was a tough night for the Portland Trail Blazers, as they were beaten by the Oklahoma City Thunder 123-121. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down a jumper at the buzzer to give the Thunder the win, capping off his 35-point night in style.

For Portland, Damian Lillard did his best to keep pace with the budding young Oklahoma City star, scoring 28 points himself. While it was certainly disappointing that the night ended in defeat, Monday will be a game Lillard will remember forever.

That’s because he surpassed Clyde Drexler as the all-time leading scorer in Trail Blazers history. Drexler scored 18,040 of his 22,195 career points while playing 867 games in Portland to begin his Hall of Fame career.

“Even in tonight’s game I didn’t play focused on getting the record,” Lillard said. “I just played the game to win. I knew it would eventually happen.”

Lillard needed 21 points to get ahead of Drexler on Monday, outscoring him in the third quarter on a made free throw. He accomplished the feat much faster than Drexler, needing only 730 games, with the 3-point shot being the biggest factor in how quickly Lillard reached that number. He has 2,229 career 3-pointers, while Drexler had 827.

“It’s a great feeling to reach the top”, Lillard said. “It’s been a goal of mine, and the list has so many players, great history of our organization, so to finally be number 1 is a special achievement that I’m proud of.”

LATEST NBA NEWS: Damian Lillard & Portland Trail Blazers Updates

Playing with one franchise is something that means a lot to Lillard, who has had a few chances to leave or work his way out of Portland, but has always been committed to the franchise. It’s something that a lot of people think will cost him a true title contender one day, but he’ll go down as the greatest Trail Blazer in franchise history, which is worth something.

“Damian’s dedication to Portland is now encapsulated with this prestigious career milestone,” Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said in a statement. “His dedication, humility and hard work have been pillars in his path to this point. On behalf of the organization we would like to congratulate Damian on this great achievement and look forward to many more.”

LATEST NBA NEWS: Damian Lillard & Portland Trail Blazers Updates

After an injury-plagued 2021-22 season, Lillard has returned with another season of All-Star caliber. He averages 28.3 points, 7.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds as the Trail Blazers have gone 12-7 in the 19 games he has played in. has missed.