In Lillard’s latest interview with The Player’s Tribune, he revealed that Pat Connaughton acted as a middleman between him and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Lillard: Connaughton as a middleman
Long before they were teammates, Lillard revealed, there had been a back-and-forth between the two. He, Connaughton, and Antetokounmpo were all in a group chat, and he shared that they were taking turns instructing Connaughton to invite the other person to join their team.
“Pat, tell him to come here. [Antetokounmpo] He’s like, ‘Pat, no, tell Dame, he needs to come to Milwaukee’, so it was like, ongoing like that.”
Before joining the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018, Connaughton spent three seasons as a rookie with the Portland Trail Blazers, where Lillard first got to know him.
“Pat Connaughton, who’s on our team now, was my rook’ back in Portland, and then he ended up signing with Milwaukee,” Lillard continued.
Thinking it would be a good idea to hook up the two superstars of the teams he played for, Connaughton acted as a middleman in the group chat, as Lillard revealed in the interview.
First conversation as teammates
Lillard proceeded to share that two minutes after he came into the Bucks’ office, Antetokounmpo didn’t waste any time and requested to have a private conversation with Lillard.
According to him, their first meeting lasted about an hour, during which they discussed ‘what needs to be done’ to achieve their objectives, as well as taking turns discussing themselves.
“He was trying to get me to go to Milwaukee, and I was trying to tell him, ‘No, you come to Portland.’”@Dame_Lillard sits down with @Qrich and @21Blackking to discuss his trade to the @Bucks, his first conversation with @Giannis_An34 and more.
Tap in tomorrow!⌚️ pic.twitter.com/sgWoJoNKSU
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) November 20, 2023
Bucks’ new powerful duo
Fast forward to the present, and they’ve now emerged as the Bucks’ new powerful duo.
Almost a month into the season, Lillard says, via The Athletic, that he has finally struck the right balance between giving way to Antetokounmpo and scoring aggressively.
Coach Adrian Griffin also added that with each game, the two players are growing more and more at ease and confident in one another.
BUCKS WIN! Giannis Antetokounmpo & Damian Lillard battled Kyrie Irving & Luka Doncic in Milwaukee’s 132-125 WIN over Dallas! 🦌
Giannis: 40 PTS, 15 REB, 7 AST, 18/26 FGM
Lillard: 27 PTS, 12 AST, 7/18 FGM
Kyrie: 39 PTS, 6 AST, 16/29 FGM
Luka: 35 PTS, 9 REB, 9 AST, 15/26 FGMTwo… pic.twitter.com/fRYPrJa9p9
— NBA Buzz (@OfficialNBABuzz) November 19, 2023
Dallas honors Sha’ Carri Richardson in the best way possible
Cover Photo: IG