Doc Rivers said it was “really hard” to navigate Damian Lillard’s personal situation after arriving midseason to coach the Bucks.
Lillard — who spent 11 seasons with the Trail Blazers before being traded to Milwaukee last September — admitted he was out of shape while dealing with his divorce from estranged wife Kay’La Lillard.
“That was really hard,” Rivers said during an appearance on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on Thursday, adding that it was difficult to help Lillard keep his spirits up. “I didn’t even realize that Dame was traded two or three days before training camp.
“We were at dinner, and he said, ‘Coach, I didn’t work out all summer. It’s the first time in my life that I’ve not worked out. I was so scared of getting injured working out.’ He knew he was gonna get traded.
“So, he said, ‘You know, I did some light running. I did some shooting with no one in the gym. But I didn’t go at all.’ He said, ‘I’m out of shape,’ and he was honest about it, and that’s one of the reasons you love him because he is honest. He said, ‘This is the worst shape I’ve ever been in.'”
Lillard, 33, struggled on the offensive end last season, with his efficiency from beyond the arc and scoring plummeting from the previous season’s marks.
Rivers explained that Lillard never got in peak shape for the season.
“When you start camp that way you don’t ever get in shape. You never catch up, and he felt that way,” Rivers said. “It’s funny, I start calling him names, like joking with him talking about his weight and he’s heavy.”
Lillard used that experience as motivation to get in shape for the 2024-25 season and he’s already working toward that goal.
“All summer now, he’s [telling me], ‘I’m working twice a day,'” Rivers said. “He’s so proud that he’s in great shape right now already, which is amazing.
“I shared this with him last week, I said, ‘It’s amazing you’re doing two a days right now and the Celtics and Mavericks are still playing. It just tells you how long of a journey it is for you to win a championship. Half the league is back to work for next season and we still have two teams playing.”
Lillard filed for divorce Kay’La, his college sweetheart, less than a week after he was traded from the Trail Blazers to the Bucks.
The couple tied the knot in September 2021 and have three children together: son Damian Jr., 5, and 3-year-old twins, daughter Kali and son Kalii.
Despite his shooting decline, Lillard earned his eighth All-Star nod in February, when he became the first player to earn All-Star MVP honors and win the 3-Point Contest in a weekend.
The Bucks finished last season with a 49-33 record, and they were eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs, for the second straight year, by the Pacers.
Lillard missed two games in the postseason after he aggravated an Achilles injury, which he suffered during the Bucks’ regular-season finale.
