Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard’s ‘biggest challenge’ is being away from

MILWAUKEE – First-year Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard is excited about spending Christmas Day playing against the New York Knicks. The only thing missing is not being able to have his three young children watching at Madison Square Garden and opening presents with them afterward.

Luckily for Lillard, he got his Christmas wish early by enjoying the holiday last week with his kids, putting ornaments on the Christmas tree and giving them their presents in his new home of Milwaukee.

“The main thing for me was just being present and just having that quality time with my kids,” Lillard told Andscape. “It’s Christmas, so I want them to see the lights. I want them to open up gifts. I want them to feel in the in the spirit of it. Decorate the Christmas tree, see the decorations and candy canes, whatever. All of those things, the Elf on the Shelf. But the most important thing for me is the time and make sure they feel my presence, feel the love and enjoy it while we have it, while I have them here.”

From 2012 to 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers were the only franchise that Lillard knew. The NBA 75th Anniversary Team selection earned seven All-Star appearances with the Trail Blazers and left as their career scoring leader. What was missing was not only a championship but playing on a team that regularly competed for one.

Lillard made a trade request in the offseason hoping to be dealt to the Miami Heat, which played in the 2023 NBA Finals. The Blazers dealt him on Sept. 27 instead, just days before training camp in a blockbuster three-team trade to the Bucks. The Bucks were NBA champions in 2021 and had a franchise icon of its own, two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

While Lillard’s dream of joining a title contender came true, the only regret he had was not being able to be around his children, Damian Jr. and twins, Kali and Kalii, and family members regularly. His children are in still Portland, Oregon, with their mother, Kay’La Lillard. Complicating matters, the Lillards are in the midst of a divorce.

Lillard is ecstatic about being with the Bucks but added that it is “hard living.”

“That’s probably been the biggest challenge, being away from my kids,” Lillard said. “Being away from everything that I’ve known. It’s a hurdle. It is an everyday battle. Any father or any mother would know that. When you wake up and you are able to be physically present with your kids, there is nothing else that you love more in the world.

“So being away from my kids, I wake up every day like, man, they are not seeing my face today physically. I can’t hug them. I can’t go pick my son up from school. I can’t pick up my twin daughter and son. It’s things that you just can’t do being this far away. And those are things that I love to do the most and I take a lot of…