Damian Lillard's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A closer look at the biggest achievements of Damian Lillard. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.

Damian Lillard, nicknamed "Dame Time", is a prominent American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers. He also serves as the general manager of the Weber State Wildcats men's basketball program. A former Weber State player and 2012 All-American, Lillard was drafted sixth overall by Portland in 2012 and named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2013. He is a nine-time NBA All-Star, a seven-time All-NBA Team selection and the Trail Blazers’ all-time leading scorer. He ranks among the NBA's all-time leaders in three-point field goals made.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1968: Leading NBA Rookies in Total Minutes

In 2012, Damian Lillard became the first rookie to lead the NBA in total minutes played (3,167) since Elvin Hayes did so in 1968–69.

March 1971: Geoff Petrie record of 30.4 points

In March 1971, Geoff Petrie averaged 30.4 points and Damian Lillard passed this record with 31.4 points per game in February 2018.

1973: Career-High 51 Points Against Warriors

On February 19, 2016, Damian Lillard scored a career-high 51 points in a 137–105 win over the Golden State Warriors. He also became the first player in NBA history to have at least 50 points, seven assists, and six steals since the steal became an official statistic in the 1973–74 season.

1978: First Rookie since 1978-79 with 35 Points, 9 Assists, and Zero Turnovers

On March 8, Damian Lillard became the first NBA rookie to record 35 points, nine assists, and zero turnovers in a game since turnovers became a stat in the 1978–79 season, achieved against the San Antonio Spurs.

1981: Sweeping Rookie of the Month Honors

In 2012, Damian Lillard earned Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors for every month of the season, becoming one of just eight players to sweep NBA Rookie of the Month honors since the inaugural award in 1981–82.

1984: Joining Unanimous Rookie of the Year Winners

In 2012, Damian Lillard claimed the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and joined Blake Griffin (2011), David Robinson (1990), and Ralph Sampson (1984) as the only unanimous winners.

1986: Joining Blazers with 1,500 Points and 500 Assists

In 2012, Damian Lillard became the fourth Trail Blazer in franchise history to win NBA Rookie of the Year honors and one of two to ever finish a season with at least 1,500 points and 500 assists, with the other being Clyde Drexler in 1986–87 and 1991–92.

1987: Fastest Trail Blazer to 1,500 Assists

On October 28, 2015, Damian Lillard's 11 assists gave him 1,500 for his career, making him the fastest Trail Blazer to reach the milestone since Terry Porter in the 1987–88 season (215 games).

1990: Joining Unanimous Rookie of the Year Winners

In 2012, Damian Lillard claimed the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and joined Blake Griffin (2011), David Robinson (1990), and Ralph Sampson (1984) as the only unanimous winners.

1991: Joining Blazers with 1,500 Points and 500 Assists

1991: Scoring Streak Since Drexler

In February 2016, Damian Lillard scored 30 points against the Utah Jazz, becoming the first Blazer to score at least 30 points in four consecutive games since Drexler accomplished the feat in 1991.

1991: First Blazer Since Drexler with 600 Points and 150 Assists

On December 12, 2015, in a loss to the New York Knicks, Lillard became the first Blazer since Clyde Drexler in 1991–92 to record 600 points and 150 assists during the team's first 25 games.

1994: Assists Record Since Jason Kidd

During his NBA debut in 2012, Damian Lillard's 11 assists were the most by an NBA rookie in his first game since Jason Kidd also had 11 assists in 1994.

1995: Warriors Surpassing Bulls

On February 19, 2016, Damian Lillard scored a career-high 51 points in a 137–105 win over the Golden State Warriors. This would be the fifth of just nine losses all season for Golden State, who eventually went on to win 73 games, surpassing the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls for the winningest regular season of all-time.

1997: First Buzzer-Beater Since Stockton

In 2014, Damian Lillard became the first player since Utah's John Stockton against Houston in 1997 to make a buzzer-beating shot to win a playoff series.

2000: Playoff Win Since 2000

In 2014, Damian Lillard's game winning shot lifted the Trail Blazers to their first playoff series win since 2000.

2004: Breaking Portland's 3-Point Record

In 2012, Damian Lillard broke the Portland franchise leader for most 3-point field goals in a season, breaking Damon Stoudamire's record of 181 set in 2004–05.

2009: Breaking Rookie Record for 3-Pointers

In 2012, Damian Lillard broke the all-time NBA rookie record for 3-pointers in a season with 185, surpassing Stephen Curry's 166 three-pointers in 2009–10.

December 3, 2011: Career-High 41 Points Against San Jose State

On December 3, 2011, Damian Lillard scored a college career-high 41 points against San Jose State, including a game-clinching three-point play to secure a 91–89 double-overtime win for Weber State.

2011: Joining Unanimous Rookie of the Year Winners

In 2012, Damian Lillard claimed the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and joined Blake Griffin (2011), David Robinson (1990), and Ralph Sampson (1984) as the only unanimous winners.

2012: All-American honors and NBA Draft

In 2012, Damian Lillard earned third-team All-American honors while playing college basketball for Weber State. Later that year, he was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the sixth overall pick in the NBA draft.

2012: 2,000th NBA Field Goal

On January 18, 2015, in a win over the Washington Wizards, Damian Lillard hit his 2,000th NBA field goal, becoming one of only eight players to reach that mark since he entered the league in 2012–13.

December 19, 2014: Career-High 43 Points Against San Antonio Spurs

On December 19, 2014, Damian Lillard scored a career-high 43 points in a 129–119 triple-overtime win over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in a rematch of the previous season's Semifinals playoff series.

2014: Playoff Series Win Against Houston Rockets

In 2014, Damian Lillard helped the Portland Trail Blazers achieve a 54–28 record and face the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA playoffs. He led the Trail Blazers to their first playoff series win since 2000 with a buzzer-beating shot in Game 6, securing a 99–98 victory.

2014: New Contract with Adidas

In 2014, Damian Lillard negotiated a new contract with Adidas potentially worth $100 million over 10 years. Lillard has a signature shoe line with Adidas, the "Adidas Dame".

February 8, 2015: Selected as All-Star Replacement

On February 8, 2015, Damian Lillard was selected as a replacement for the injured Blake Griffin in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game.

March 4, 2015: Career-High 18 Rebounds Against the Los Angeles Clippers

On March 4, 2015, Damian Lillard recorded a career-high 18 rebounds in a 98–93 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

October 28, 2015: Fastest to 600 Career Three-Pointers

On October 28, 2015, Damian Lillard recorded 21 points and 11 assists in a season-opening win against the New Orleans Pelicans. The one three-pointer made during the game was his 600th career three-point field goal, making him the fastest NBA player in history to reach the mark at 247 games.

October 25, 2016: 39 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in win over Utah Jazz

On October 25, 2016, Damian Lillard scored 39 points with 9 rebounds and 6 assists in a 113–104 win against the Utah Jazz. During the game, Lillard also passed Jim Paxson to become sixth on the Trail Blazers' franchise career list with 2,008 assists.

2016: 8th in MVP Race

In 2016, Lillard finished 8th in total points received in the MVP Race, scoring 26 points out of a possible 1310 points.

April 3, 2017: Named Western Conference Player of the Month

On April 3, 2017, Damian Lillard was named Western Conference Player of the Month for his performance in March. During March, Lillard averaged 29.1 points, 6.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.44 steals in 16 games leading the Trail Blazers to an NBA-best 13–3 record.

May 2, 2017: Recipient of the Magic Johnson Award

On May 2, 2017, Damian Lillard was named the recipient of the Magic Johnson Award for the 2016–17 season. This award honors the player who best combines excellence on the basketball court with cooperation and dignity in dealing with the media and the public.

October 28, 2017: Reached 9,000-point milestone

On October 28, 2017, Damian Lillard reached the 9,000-point milestone during the third quarter in a 114–107 win over the Phoenix Suns. He became the fastest Blazer to reach this milestone in 402 games.

2018: Placed 4th in the 2018 MVP Race

In 2018, Damian Lillard placed 4th in the MVP Race, winning 207.0 of the 1010 possible points.

2018: First Blazer to have 2,000 points and 500 assists

In April 2018, Damian Lillard became the first Trail Blazer to have 2,000 points and 500 assists in the same season.

November 8, 2019: Recorded career-high 60 points

On November 8, 2019, Damian Lillard recorded a then career-high 60 points, though it came in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets, 115–119.

2019: Placed 6th in the 2019 MVP race

In 2019, Damian Lillard placed 6th in the MVP race, receiving 69 of the 1,010 available points.

January 20, 2020: Scored 61 points in win versus Golden State Warriors

On January 20, 2020, Damian Lillard surpassed his previous career high by scoring 61 points, along with 10 rebounds and 7 assists in a 129–124 overtime win against the Golden State Warriors.

June 30, 2020: Selected as NBA 2K21 Cover Athlete

On June 30, 2020, Damian Lillard was selected to be the cover athlete for NBA 2K21.

2020: Summer Olympics

In 2021, Damian Lillard won a gold medal for the U.S. Olympic team in the 2020 Summer Olympics.

January 30, 2021: Season-High 44 Points and Game-Winning Shot

On January 30, 2021, Damian Lillard scored a season-high 44 points, including a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer, in a 123–122 win over the Chicago Bulls.

February 17, 2021: 43 Points and Career-High 16 Assists

On February 17, 2021, Damian Lillard scored 43 points and tied a career-high 16 assists in a win against the New Orleans Pelicans, becoming one of only 12 players in NBA history to have 40 points and 15 assists in a game.

2021: Playoff Career-High 55 Points in Game 5

During Game 5 of the first round of the 2021 playoffs against the Denver Nuggets, Damian Lillard scored a playoff career-high 55 points with an NBA playoff record 12 made three-pointers, and 10 assists. Despite Lillard's efforts, the Nuggets won in double-overtime, leading to Portland's elimination in Game 6.

2021: Olympic Gold Medal and NBA 75th Anniversary Team Selection

In 2021, Damian Lillard won a gold medal for the U.S. Olympic team in the 2020 Summer Olympics and was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

January 12, 2023: Season-High 50 Points Against Cavaliers

On January 12, 2023, Damian Lillard scored a then season-high 50 points in a 119–113 loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was his 15th career game with 50 or more points.

October 26, 2023: Bucks Debut: 39 Points

On October 26, 2023, Damian Lillard made his Bucks debut against the Philadelphia 76ers, scoring 39 points, a franchise record for a debut.

January 14, 2024: Game-Winning Shot and 2,500 Career Three-Pointers

On January 14, 2024, Damian Lillard scored 29 points, including a buzzer-beating, game-winning three-pointer, and added eight assists in a 143–142 overtime win over the Sacramento Kings. He also became just the fifth player in NBA history to make at least 2,500 career three-pointers.