Damian Lillard admits to going through ‘hardest transition’ of his life

The time dating back to Damian Lillard's trade request to the Portland Trail Blazers through the present day has been a frenzy for the now-Milwaukee Bucks star — both on and off the court. Lillard, who was dealt to the Bucks this past offseason, opened up about his overall life transition, specifically following the trade while speaking with Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.

The change of scenery for Lillard, leading to just the second NBA "home" of his career, involved more than just a normal adjustment period. As Goodwill explained, Lillard and his wife of two years, Kay'La Lillard, are going through a divorce, which he filed days after the trade to the Bucks in October. The two also share three children together, making moving from Portland to Milwaukee even more challenging.

"It’s probably been the hardest transition in my life, all things considered," Lillard told Yahoo Sports.

Goodwill highlighted that Lillard couldn't train the way he typically does during the summer due to the circumstances, and it was a "small group of friends and family" that the guard leaned on during the tough time.

“[I did] stuff that wouldn’t make me feel overwhelmed. It can be because we all got feelings,” Lillard said. “We all have stuff we really care about, near and dear to our heart. I’m happy I’m a stable person, I got solid people around me."

From an on-court perspective, Lillard has shined with the Bucks, proving to be the same lethal offensive playmaker he's been throughout his career. He's meshed well with Giannis Antetokounmpo and has averaged 25.2 points, 6.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds.

But as strong as he's been on the floor, Lillard admitted to Goodwill that there's nothing more important than his kids, and they are always on his mind.

“As much as I love basketball, and I love my job, I don't care about it more than I care about my kids. Of course you carry it with you,” Lillard said.

Lillard's candid comments about the situation serve as a reminder of how much goes on behind the scenes that fans will likely never know about. And for Lillard, it's easy to understand how challenging this change must have been and has to still be as he continues to push forward both as a father and at work amid the additional circumstances he and his family are going through.