Speaking to Melanie Ricks of Bally Sports Wisconsin shortly after the final buzzer, Lillard shared his immediate thoughts on his most recent accomplishment. According to the 33-year-old, the fact that he’s now scored more than 20,000 points in his career put a lot of things into perspective: “I just did what I always do,” Lillard said. “I always try to prepare myself to the best of my ability. I find success by doing that, sustaining that type of work.
“The 20,000 points, when I hear that number it just takes me back to the beginning. Everything that I put into it. The hard days, the struggles, the ups and the downs, and just continuing to fight through and to have faith. Just being strong and true to the game, and you find yourself in this type of situation. It’s a blessing and an honor to have that type of accomplishment, and I’m happy that I could do it and be part of a successful team.”
For context, there are currently just seven other active players in the NBA who have amassed at least 20,000 points in their career. They are LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, and DeMar DeRozan. Dame is now part of an elite list of players who are officially the best scorers in league history. What an achievement.
