28 February 2023 , 23:08
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Portland Trail Blazers icon Damian Lillard has hit back at critics who say he has not stepped out of his comfort zone in pursuit of an NBA title, pointing to the plight of former MVP Russell Westbrook.
The 32-year-old delivered another reminder of his class with a monster 71-point performance in Sunday's win over the Houston Rockets , putting him joint eighth on the list of most individual points in an NBA game. Lillard has been among the best players in the NBA since the Blazers drafted him in 2012, and 10 years on he signed a max contract worth $225million until the end of the 2026/27 season instead of chasing success elsewhere.
That decision has drawn criticism in some quarters, with Portland not making it out of the first round of the play-offs in any of the past three seasons, and the prospects of glory in Oregon in the years ahead look limited. But he believes there is a value in feeling at home and he highlighted Westbrook's situation, with ill-fated moves seeing him bounce around the league and falling from the MVP status he had when he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Westbrook joined the Los Angeles Clippers last week after being sent to the Utah Jazz by the Los Angeles Lakers on the trade deadline, with the guard the waived to enable him to choose to stay on the west coast.
"You look at Russell Westbrook," Lillard told ESPN. "You leave OKC for Houston, then James (Harden) decided he's leaving. Now Russ is traded to DC, then you get traded from DC to the Lakers.
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"Now you're on your fourth team in four years and in your second year on the team, everybody is talking about how they should trade you. Now you're coming off the bench. This dude is a hall of famer, an MVP. It's an example that the grass isn't always greener."
Lillard believes too much value is placed on titles when evaluating players' legacies. He made clear he is desperate to secure a championship for his adopted hometown but – citing the example of Charles Barkley, one of the best players to never win an NBA title – he thinks the importance of rings is overrated in basketball circles.
Russell Westbrook has struggled to find a home in the NBA in recent years. (Getty Images)"We devalue people's body of work if you don't win a championship," Lillard said. "I've shown up for 11 straight years. Just think about how much time that is. When you really think about 11 straight years and I've given them something to cheer for. We've won a lot of games. I've given them great performances. I don't give excuses. I give them my all.
"I'm available as much or more than anybody in the last 11 years, including last year when I only played [29] games for the first time (because of an abdominal injury). I've been available more than anybody. I've represented the organization and this team as well as anybody has represented their team. And I give them their bang for the buck. When they come see me, they get a show, you know? They get excitement. They get wins. They get playoff experiences.
"The only thing I haven't done is win the championship. I think people don't give enough credit. We're in an era of, 'How many rings you got?' And, 'Well, this person didn't win (one).' That's why I want to win one so bad just to have that top off everything that I've already done.
"I do think we discredit people for not having won a championship. The way they talk about Charles Barkley is crazy. It's Charles Barkley! It's crazy."