Damian Lillard spent April 21, 2026 the way most injured athletes do: watching from the sidelines, phone in hand. But when his former Portland Trail Blazers backcourt partner CJ McCollum went supernova at Madison Square Garden — dropping 32 points to drag the Atlanta Hawks back from an eight-point deficit and tie the first-round playoff series with the New York Knicks — Lillard couldn't stay quiet. His X post was three words: "OMG @CJMcCollum lol." It was brief, it was funny, and it said everything about a friendship forged over years of running pick-and-roll together in Portland.
The moment went viral not just because of the humor, but because of the context. Lillard is currently living through one of the most complicated chapters of his NBA career — rehabbing a torn Achilles, watching his former team without him, and waiting for a return that can't come soon enough. That three-word post was a window into who Lillard is when the cameras aren't rolling and the stakes aren't on him: genuinely joyful, loyal to his people, and always watching the game.
CJ McCollum's MSG Takeover: What Lillard Was Reacting To
To understand why Lillard's reaction resonated so widely, you need to know what McCollum actually did. In Game 2 of the Hawks-Knicks first-round series, Atlanta was staring down a 100-92 deficit with 5:26 remaining. At Madison Square Garden. Against a Knicks team that was playing with the desperation of a team that had just lost Game 1 on their home floor.
McCollum then proceeded to dismantle New York's late-game execution with a sequence that will be replayed for years. He made three crucial shots in the final 2:08, including the dagger — a go-ahead midrange jumper over OG Anunoby with just 34 seconds remaining. McCollum's MSG takeover was exactly the kind of clutch, technically precise performance that made him one of the most reliable second options in the league during his Portland years — the same years when Lillard was the engine and McCollum was the co-pilot who could carry you home when defenses dared to focus entirely on Dame.
The Hawks rallied to win, tying the series 1-1 and shifting momentum heading into Game 3 in Atlanta on Thursday, where the Hawks open as 1.5-point favorites. For McCollum, now 34 and in the later stages of a career that deserves more recognition than it gets, a 32-point playoff masterclass at the Garden is a statement game. Lillard, watching it unfold, clearly felt the pride of a teammate who knows exactly what that performance required.
The Achilles Injury That Changed Everything
Lillard's story in 2025-26 is ultimately a story about patience and a very specific kind of athletic grief. He tore his Achilles during the 2025 playoffs while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks — an injury that doesn't just sideline players, it redefines them. Achilles tears are career-altering. The recovery timeline is typically 12-18 months, the road back is grueling, and the psychological weight of watching basketball from a couch while your body heals is something few people outside the sport can fully appreciate.
Lillard is officially sitting out the entire 2025-26 season, confirmed as of April 19, 2026. He is not suiting up in any capacity for the Trail Blazers this year. The goal is a full return next season, and by most accounts, the Blazers are treating his rehab with patience rather than pressure — which makes sense given that they traded to bring him back specifically because they want him healthy and productive, not because they needed a 70% version of him to push a young team into the playoffs.
The Achilles context also makes his McCollum reaction more poignant. While he would ordinarily be in the thick of the playoff grind himself, he's instead at home watching the postseason that his injury took from him. The fact that he's finding genuine joy in McCollum's performance — rather than bitterness — says something meaningful about his character.
The Portland Homecoming: Why the Trail Blazers Brought Lillard Back
Lillard spent the majority of his NBA career in Portland, becoming the franchise's all-time leading scorer and one of the most beloved players in Trail Blazers history. His trade to Milwaukee in the 2023 offseason was one of the more emotionally charged moves of that era — a superstar requesting out of a small market he'd given everything to, seeking a legitimate title contender. It didn't work out the way anyone planned. The Bucks never found the right chemistry, and then the Achilles ended his Milwaukee tenure on the worst possible note.
The Trail Blazers acquiring Lillard back in the offseason wasn't nostalgia — it was a calculated bet. Portland is in the middle of a legitimate rebuild anchored by Deni Avdija, and adding Lillard's veteran scoring, leadership, and name recognition when he returns gives that project a floor that most rebuilds lack. The Trail Blazers are in the 2026 playoffs without him, which is ahead of schedule and a testament to Avdija's rapid development. But Lillard coming back healthy next season would transform Portland from a promising young team into a genuine contender in the Western Conference.
There's also a narrative symmetry to it. Lillard's legacy in Portland was never tarnished — fans understood why he left — but a return gives him the chance to write a final chapter on his own terms, in a city that never stopped loving him. That's rare in the modern NBA, where loyalty is complicated by money, championships, and market dynamics.
Dame and CJ: The Backcourt Partnership That Defined an Era
To understand why Lillard's three-word reaction to McCollum's performance matters, you need context on what they built together. From 2013 to 2021, Lillard and McCollum were one of the most productive backcourts in the NBA. They made the Western Conference Finals in 2019, carried a perennially undermanned roster further than logic suggested it should go, and became the defining faces of small-market resilience in the modern league.
Their dynamic was always compelling: Lillard as the alpha — the clutch-time assassin, the heart of the franchise — and McCollum as the steady counterpoint who could go nuclear on any given night without needing the spotlight. They were friends. Real ones, not the curated "teammates who get along" version of friendship the NBA often produces. McCollum was traded to New Orleans in 2022, and now he's in Atlanta, but the connection is clearly intact.
When McCollum goes for 32 in a playoff elimination situation at MSG, Lillard watching from his couch and posting "OMG @CJMcCollum lol" isn't just social media content — it's a guy genuinely hyped for his friend. That authenticity is part of why it spread the way it did. People can tell the difference.
What the Hawks Win Means for the Knicks Series
Setting aside the Lillard angle, the actual basketball story out of Game 2 is significant. The Knicks entered this series as comfortable favorites, and losing Game 2 at home — after leading by eight with under six minutes left — is a genuine gut punch. New York has invested heavily in this roster and their fan base has elevated expectations accordingly. Blowing a late lead to a team led by a 34-year-old guard in the twilight of his career is the kind of loss that rattles a locker room.
For the Hawks, the series shift to Atlanta for Game 3 is a massive development. Opening as 1.5-point favorites on their home floor, they now control the narrative of the series. McCollum's performance gives Atlanta a proven late-game option, and the Knicks will have to decide how hard they're willing to commit defensive resources to stopping him versus trusting that their overall depth wins out.
The series is now genuinely open, and McCollum — not anyone else — is the reason why. Meanwhile, Lillard is somewhere watching this unfold, probably still laughing.
Analysis: What Lillard's Moment Reveals About NBA Culture in 2026
Damian Lillard's viral X post is a small thing that reveals something larger. The NBA has always been a player's league in terms of relationships — guys who competed fiercely against each other still maintain genuine bonds forged in practice facilities and locker rooms over years. Social media has made those relationships visible in real time, which is mostly a good thing for the sport.
Lillard watching McCollum dominate and expressing pure delight publicly is the NBA's off-court culture at its best. It's unguarded, it's human, and it cuts against the robotic media-trained version of athlete we sometimes get. It also humanizes the injury story. Lillard isn't sulking through his recovery. He's engaged with the game he loves, rooting for the people he loves in it, and maintaining the kind of positive presence that will matter when he returns to Portland's locker room next fall.
There's also a broader point about what sustained backcourt partnerships mean in the modern NBA, where player movement is constant and teams are frequently reshuffled. Lillard and McCollum played together for eight years. That's nearly unheard of in today's league. The fact that their friendship survived both being on different teams for five years is a reminder that some things in basketball outlast contracts.
For Portland, this moment is a preview of what the organization is betting on: Lillard's return energizes a young core built around Avdija, and the franchise gets to close the loop on a relationship that was always supposed to end with Lillard as a Trail Blazer. With Portland already in the playoffs this season, the foundation is there. Adding a healthy Lillard next year raises the ceiling considerably — and moments like this one, where he's visibly invested in the people around him, suggest his head is in exactly the right place for a successful comeback.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Damian Lillard playing in the 2025-26 NBA season?
No. Lillard is sitting out the entire 2025-26 season to recover from an Achilles tendon tear he suffered during the 2025 playoffs while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks. As of April 19, 2026, it was officially confirmed he will not play at all this season. He is expected to return for the 2026-27 season with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Why is Damian Lillard back with the Trail Blazers?
Portland acquired Lillard from Milwaukee in the offseason following his Achilles injury. The trade brings him back to the franchise where he spent most of his career and became the all-time leading scorer. Portland is treating this as a long-term investment — keeping Lillard healthy and letting him return to anchor a young roster built around Deni Avdija, rather than rushing him back before he's ready.
What did Damian Lillard post about CJ McCollum?
After watching McCollum score a game-high 32 points and hit three clutch shots in the final 2:08 to lead the Atlanta Hawks past the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series on April 20, 2026, Lillard posted "OMG @CJMcCollum lol" on X. The post went viral for its humor and the authentic friendship it reflected between the two former Portland backcourt partners.
How are the Hawks doing in the 2026 playoffs?
After dropping Game 1, the Atlanta Hawks tied their first-round series with the New York Knicks by winning Game 2 on the road at Madison Square Garden, largely on the strength of CJ McCollum's 32-point performance. The series shifts to Atlanta for Game 3, where the Hawks are 1.5-point favorites. It's now a fully open series with momentum on Atlanta's side.
How long do Achilles tears typically take to recover from in the NBA?
Achilles tendon tears are among the most serious injuries in basketball, with standard recovery timelines of 12-18 months. Many players return to close to their prior level — Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson are prominent examples — but the rehab requires complete commitment and patience. For Lillard, tearing his Achilles during the 2025 playoffs and sitting out all of 2025-26 keeps him on a conservative but sensible timeline for a full return in 2026-27.
The Bottom Line
Damian Lillard's "OMG @CJMcCollum lol" is the kind of moment that reminds you basketball is, at its core, a game played by people who genuinely love it. Lillard is living through one of the hardest stretches of his career — rehabbing an Achilles, watching others play the sport that defines him, waiting for a return date that's still months away. And yet, watching his old friend go for 32 at the Garden, he found room for pure joy.
The substance underneath the viral moment is real: McCollum's clutch performance genuinely swung a playoff series, Lillard's return to Portland is one of the more compelling storylines of the 2026-27 season already, and the Hawks-Knicks series is now legitimately unpredictable heading into Atlanta. But what will stick is the image of Lillard on his couch, injured and sidelined, lighting up at what his friend just did. That's the kind of person you want walking back into your locker room next fall.
