Damian Lillard chose to address his departure from the Trail Blazers in song form.
The NBA star released a nearly three-minute track under his stage name, Dame D.O.L.L.A., just hours after news of his trade to Milwaukee broke Wednesday afternoon.
Lillard was traded to the Bucks in a blockbuster three-team deal that ended his 11-year run in Portland, which drafted him with the No. 6 pick in 2012.
The veteran guard acknowledged the trade in a post on X, formerly Twitter, promising to address Trail Blazers fans and the city of Portland.
Lillard, who has released four albums, followed through by releasing the song “Farewell.”
Some of Lillard’s most poignant bars came toward the end of the song.
“Amazing what I get in return for this labor. I continue leaving trails, but won’t be for the Blazers,” Lillard raps. “To the fans, man, I love you, it’s unconditional. Reasons for me leaving the city’s nothing typical. So it’s imperative not to believe the narrative; just know that what I left is better than what I inherited.”
Lillard formally requested to be traded on July 1 after playing his entire career in the Rose City.
The point guard helped the Trail Blazers reach the playoffs eight times during his tenure in Portland and guided them to a Western Conference Finals berth in 2019.
Lillard holds the franchise record for points and 3-pointers, and additionally, he had the best season of his career last year, averaging 32.2 points and 7.3 assists per game.
“I leave at peace ’cause I know in the end that this is business,” Lillard added in the song. “Hope you remember all the things you got to sit and witness. In the future, man, I hope we greet with hugs and kisses. But you should know that they the ones who chose another mission.”
The final line appeared to be a comment on what transpired between himself and the Blazers.
Portland is entering this season seemingly trying to rebuild itself after drafting point guard Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 overall in June’s NBA draft.