Damian Lillard Rapped ‘Farewell’ To Portland And Roasted The Blazers After His Blockbuster Trade To Milwaukee

Damian Lillard never needs an excuse to remind everyone of his rap prowess as Dame D.O.L.L.A., but a blockbuster trade from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday afternoon is as good of an excuse as he’ll ever find.

Shortly after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news of the trade, Lillard addressed it on X (formerly known as Twitter), writing, “The casuals won’t be addressed but the Trail Blazers fans and city of Portland that I love truly will be … and they will be addressed truthfully. Stay tuned. Excited for my next chapter! @Bucks”

Roughly two hours later, Lillard shared “Farewell” to Apple Music and Tidal, with a promise that the freestyle would hit “the rest of the platforms soon.”

The track comes in at just under three minutes and it kept true to Lillard’s promise, reflecting on his path to this point, appreciating everyone who stood by him (“Only my loved ones make me feel free”), and holding those who bailed accountable (“Let some people in, and now these n****s disgust me / I learned that a wolf can sometimes resemble a husky”).

In the final 45 seconds, Lillard raps, “I can never be replaced / They’ll know sooner than later / An arrow pointed at who assumed it was greater / Amazing what I get in return for this labor / I’ll continue leaving trails but [inaudible] beef with the Blazers / To the fans, man, I love you / It’s unconditional / Reasons for me leaving the city’s nothing typical.”

Lillard continues, “So it’s imperative not to believe the narrative / Just know that what I left is better than what I inherited / I leave at peace because I know, in the end, that this is business / 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.”

Lillard was drafted sixth overall by the Blazers in the 2012 NBA Draft. The Oakland native has been a loyal superstar to Portland despite never sniffing an NBA title. The furthest Lillard’s Blazers made it in the NBA Playoffs was the Western Conference Finals during the 2018-19 season.

In July, reports surfaced that Lillard had requested a trade from Portland and wanted to land with the Miami Heat. Rumors swirled all summer around Lillard’s desire to join the Heat and Portland’s disinterest in accommodating his request, and the Bucks swooped in out of seemingly nowhere to pair Dame with Giannis Antetokounmpo — much to Jimmy Butler’s chagrin.