Lillard: Holiday jokingly wanted to wear the Blazers' number 0. I rented his house in Milwaukee.

On July 24, Beijing time, Lillard appeared at his basketball training camp and accepted media interviews. During the interview, he talked about his teammate Jrue Holiday, sharing his feelings about teaming up with the veteran and some interactions between them.

“Brother, this is one of the things I’m most excited about,” Lillard said when discussing teaming up with Holiday. “I can obviously bring experience and leadership as a veteran who has been in the game for many years, but partnering with another guard is also crucial – he’s a two-time champion, very experienced, an All-Star, has been in the league for a long time, and his character, his personality, I think will be great for the team. Especially since we can complement each other, that’s very important.”

“I remember when he left New Orleans, I talked to him about coming here.At that time, it was serious; we both worked hard to make it happen. I’ve always admired him and wanted to be his teammate; I think we would work well together.He even jokingly asked if he could wear my number, and I said, ‘No.’Then I got waived, and he knew I was living here and settling down, so he sent me an emoji, and I kind of knew where I was going at that point; I just didn’t dare to say it too early. Now, we’re really teammates.”

Lillard also revealed that during his two seasons in Milwaukee, he rented Holiday's house. “So we chat often, and I even complained to him about the Wi-Fi at home. There’s a video online of us shaking hands during a game in Boston, and everyone was guessing what we were talking about, but we were actually just discussing the Wi-Fi at his house.”

“(After joining the Blazers) he contacted me, asking about where to live here and questions about the team. I told him, ‘I love Portland; I live here, and my family is here.’ Many people come here to play and might only stay one night, experiencing rainy days and gray skies without a chance to really get to know it. But I came from California and have lived here for 13 years; I think if you truly settle down, you’ll gradually come to like it, even fall in love with it like I have. That’s what I told him at the time.”

In the upcoming season, Lillard is expected to miss games due to injury, so the real chance to see the two guards teaming up might not come until the 2026-27 season.