Damian Lillard Pays Tribute to 'Great Person and Coach' Terry Stotts

Hour after making his preferences for Portland's next coach public, Damian Lillard paid homage to Terry Stotts.

Damian Lillard plans to have major input in the Trail Blazers' hiring of the second coach in his storied NBA career. Just a couple hours after Terry Stotts departed, Portland's franchise player even went on the record with his personal preferences – names that quickly emerged as the front office's leading candidates for the job.

But just because Lillard is ready to turn the page with Jason Kidd or Chauncey Billups doesn't mean he's kicking Stotts and his coaching staff out the door on their way out.

Lillard paid to tribute to Stotts and Portland's departing assistants on Instagram Saturday morning, calling them "great men before great coaches." 

Nate Tibbetts, Dale Osbourne, John McCullough, Jim Moran and David Vanterpool – who left Portland for the Minnesota Timberwolves before 2019-20 – were the assistants featured in Lillard's post. He saved his most personal message for Stotts, who Lillard credited for his growth into one of the league's best players.

Lillard had more kind words for Stotts in The Athletic's story about Kidd and Billups emerging as both his personal and front-office favorites for the Blazers' coaching vacancy.

"I love Terry,” Lillard told The Athletic. “And I will miss him as my coach."

Stotts was hired as the ninth head coach in Portland's franchise history in August 2012, two months after the team selected Lillard out of Weber State with the sixth overall pick in the draft.

The Blazers went 402-318 (.558) during their nine seasons together, making the playoffs the last eight consecutive seasons – the longest active streak in the NBA. But postseason success largely eluded Stotts and Lillard, Portland bounced from the first round five times and getting swept by the short-handed Golden State Warriors in its lone Western Conference Finals appearance in 2019.

“He’s all I’ve known in this league as a coach,” Lillard said. “In nine years, you have your frustration in competition, but I enjoyed all nine years, and always played to give him the best chance to keep his job.”

Stotts leaves Rip City as the Blazers' second all-time winningest coach behind Hall-of-Famer Jack Ramsay. 

Marc Stein of The New York Times reported on Saturday that Stotts, a 27-year coaching veteran, is a candidate for the Orlando Magic's recent opening and will draw interest from the Indiana Pacers should they elect to part ways with embattled rookie coach Nate Bjorkgren.

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