The life of an NBA player isn’t easy with respect to any avenue. Multiple games every week, the tiring pressure of worrying about seeding throughout the league, constant fatigue, and lack of relaxation to name a few. Amongst their haywire schedule, some precious responsibilities can get lost, sometimes even the ones they hold to their family. Recently, Milwaukee Bucks’ Damian Lillard spoke about the same.

While having dinner with his good friend DeMar DeRozan, the generational guard spoke about getting accustomed to always having family around. He had spent 11 years in the city of Portland, always surrounded by loved ones. It got to a point where the feeling of having everyone around became regular. Lillard felt he and his family had lost the ability to cherish having each other so readily available.

He felt the void most when he moved to Milwaukee, his first time away from his family. Upon being cloaked in loneliness, Lillard did something to reconnect with his family during Thanksgiving.

Damian Lillard understands the importance of family

As NBA athletes who have been atop the pecking order, both Deebo and Lillard are constantly under the spotlight. There is hardly any time to collect their own thoughts let alone allot time to anyone else. Yet they understood it was vital to find a hobby to offload the mental and physical strain of the NBA season. They both had a common outlet – boxing. For them, it’s a means to catharsis while also channeling their competitive characters.

“It’s another competitive nature that we can dig into and kind of challenge ourselves with,” said DeRozan.

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Lillard agreed. But for him, there was another way to release the gathered steam within him which he had only recently discovered. Or rather he had just realized the need for it.

“Something that’s big to me and like I didn’t pay a lot of attention to because as I said I have always had my family around. Then it got to the point where we was just around each other. Like we could go to dinner and we’ll just be sitting. There won’t really be a whole lot of dialogue,” Lillard told DeRozan.

The Bucks starlet felt himself detached from his kids and family. Since moving to Milwaukee though, Lillard has felt those cravings once again. A huge part of it is the separation from his kids. Right as he announced his decision to move to Milwaukee, Lillard also filed for divorce from his wife of two years Kay’La. His three children, Damian Jr., and twins Kali and Kalli still reside in Oregon with their mother. That led to the onset of separation anxiety. In an interview, Lillard even admitted to feeling lonely.

“It’s definitely lonely because I’m such a family guy. My life is my family. After games, I would come out and my whole family would be back there. My kids coming out of the playroom. My mom, my brother, my cousins lived there, you know what I mean?” he told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated in February.

To feel whole in the love of his family again, Lillard called up everyone to Milwaukee during the Thanksgiving weekend. His kids, parents, nephews, everyone was present under one roof once again. Dame was transported back to Milwaukee. He distinctly remembers one experience from that time. He had become conditioned with his routine in Milwaukee. Living alone, he would generally go into a room in his house and either play games or watch something.

During Thanksgiving, he did the same, momentarily forgetting about his family. While his kids sat with him, Lillard recalls hearing the sounds of his family.

“I could hear them go upstairs, running around with their cousins. They playing music up there, everybody kinda talking. I literally just paused the game and went up there to join the chaos because even though it was chaotic and kids running everywhere like just being in their presence, that’s another thing for me. It’s not the same as music or boxing but it’s like that environment of love is something I know I need to throw myself into more,” Lillard described.

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Damian Lillard might have to regain his focus for the season again. However, the time away from family made him realize the stability and comfort they bring to him. Yes, he will have to say goodbye to his kids, and it will be painful. But the veteran star now understands the importance and is making an effort to stay close with his loved ones once again.

Life in Milwaukee has been alone for him. With family, it’s bound to feel whole once again.