“Obviously, I think Steph is the greatest ever, but I think after him, I don’t see why I’m not clear-cut in that discussion.” Even with the success he has found on the hardwood, Damian Lillard does not choose to place himself over Stephen Curry. In his 12 NBA years, the Bucks point guard has dismissed direct comparisons with the Splash Bro and merely attempted to separately make a case for himself to be in that discussion.

Despite all this, after Curry had delivered a career-high performance against the then-Blazers point guard, the latter had to ensure he did not make another controversial remark that the media could misinterpret.

A month ago, NFL legends Marshawn Lynch and Mike Robinson hosted Damian Lillard on their Get Got Podcast. During the conversation, the Bucks star revealed how, 3 years ago, the Warriors were going through a precarious phase. Lillard was able to use the opportunity and win two back-to-back games against them.

This caused the player to develop a thought, as he revealed, “I was like ‘Over the years, you know, Steph played with a lot of vets, and you know, they knew how to get him the ball, they knew how to get him open, they knew how to play’ I said. ‘But now, he kind of, you know, he’s seeing something different because it’s different now’ And you know, they took it and spent it like I was saying like ‘Yeah, like now he gonna see if he can still do it’ type.”

By ‘they’, Lillard may have made a reference to the media, and how his own statements were misinterpreted a bit. As a result, Stephen Curry ended up pulling a full Michael Jordan by ‘taking things personally.’

“So, after I say it, we go play him again two days later, and this Steph comes out, and he is shooting every time. And I’m like ‘Steph know, he know’. Like, obviously he a competitor, I’m a competitor, so I’m gonna try to get at him just like he is gonna try. But like he coming out, and he like shooting, shooting, shooting,” narrated Lillard.

“Steph, he the type like, he’s not going to announce that like ‘I heard what you said’ or ‘I didn’t, you said this, you said.’ He’s just gonna come out. He’s a true competitor like they think he a little light-skinned dude, but he like a real competitor.”

The game that Damian Lillard was referencing was none other than the iconic Warriors vs Blazers matchup that took place back on January 3, 2021. While Lillard led the scoring effort for his team with his 32 points, Stephen Curry’s whopping 62 points immensely dwarfed the score! He went 18-31 (58.1%) with his field goals, 8-16 (50%) with his threes, and 18-19 (94.7%) with his free throws!

With this feat, he surpassed his own 54-point career-high score that he established in February 2013. For Dame, this was the ultimate warning that the Warrior is NOT someone to be messed around with.

“So, after the game, I shake his hand and we walk off, and I’m walking up the court and I’m like ‘Man that n—a just got my a–.’” Lillard continued. “Like, they (the media) gonna make it seem like ‘Dame said this, and then he did this’ you know? Like, I just knew it was going to be that, but it wasn’t even, you know, my comments weren’t even like a shot at all. But, I definitely got (demolished).”

Being two prominent point guards, it would make sense for the media to cover any angle that connects the duo. But misinterpreting stories can have a dire effect, as Damian Lillard himself highlighted. If the Bucks star wanted, he could’ve removed any notion of rivalry with Stephen Curry by only joining the Bay. However, Lillard made it abundantly clear that the chances of it happening are 0.

Amid trade rumors, Damian Lillard rejected Stephen Curry’s franchise: “Can’t go be a part of that”

By September 2023, Damian Lillard was looking to call his 11-year journey with the Portland Trail Blazers to an end. Before the three-team trade deal took place, however, the player appeared on the It Is What It Is pod. They enquired whether Dame Time would ever choose to play for the Dubs. After all, since he originates from Oakland, the Bay Area franchise is his native team. Furthermore, with the Warriors’ history of securing championships, Lillard couldn’t have had a better chance of winning his own Larry O’Brien trophy.

However, the latter was the reason why Lillard DID NOT want to head to the Bay Area.

After all, things would have become too easy for him. “As far as like Golden State, I respect what they’ve been doing over the last 8, 9 years or whatever and I’m from there, obviously. That’s home. But I can’t be a part of that. They’ve won 4 championships… Like what I look like going to try to do that and say, ‘oh I’m joining my home team’. Like no,” said Lillard.

“Somebody who played my position behind LeBron, the best player of this era. It don’t even make sense. I never do nothing like that. I lose every year before I go,” Lillard declared.

The point guard himself wasn’t a big fan of when Kevin Durant joined the Warriors and won two championships. The criticism the Suns star continues to receive even today, giving him the feeling that he only won the two championships because of Stephen Curry’s influence, may have fuelled Damian Lillard’s belief. Therefore, the day that he alone can outperform Stephen Curry’s squad to reach the NBA title is one that Dame will most likely cherish. Being 34, however, the hooper has limited time to achieve his goal.