Damian Lillard was in a full Milwaukee Bucks uniform for the first time on Monday afternoon at the Sports Science Center, a popular social media jersey photoshop incarnate. He was at ease – yet seeing him green and white had to be a little jarring for some.

After all, he had spent 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, a tenure that included seven all-NBA nods and inclusion on the NBA’s all-time top 75 players list. During a summer of conversation about where he could land following his trade request in July, Milwaukee was not really on the radar.

But when Lillard was acquired by the Bucks on Wednesday, the team acted quickly to make his first professional move as easy as possible. It began when Lillard was greeted by thousands of fans upon his arrival in Milwaukee on Saturday and he predictably got up some shots after touring Fiserv Forum.

“We’re not focused on the common,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said of the approach of ownership and his front office. “We’re not focused on the norm.”

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And Lillard wearing No. 0 and leading off the public introduction of the 2023-24 Bucks was definitely not something many would have predicted when last season unexpectedly ended after the first round of the playoffs.

Lillard said he was first approached by his agent, Aaron Goodwin, about potentially moving to Milwaukee a few weeks ago – and playing with Giannis Antetokounmpo and an annual Eastern Conference power piqued his interest.

The Bucks, Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns made the three-team deal happen, and now Milwaukee is a place Lillard will call home for the next chapter of his career.

“As far as the city, being embraced like that (on Saturday) it definitely makes you comfortable a lot faster, when you see that you’re wanted and people are excited about you being here,” he said. “A lot of it was unexpected. I didn’t know what to expect. It’s been a great couple days. My family has been comfortable. I’ve gotten some work in. I’ve been around a little bit. So I’m excited, man. Every time I’ve been to Milwaukee over the course of my career I just stay in the hotel the whole time ‘cause it’s like snowing or something like that so seeing the sun out and being by the water and stuff like that, it almost made me smile a little bit like man, ‘this could be all right,’ you know what I’m saying? Every time I came here it was snowing, it was like depressing a little bit. I’m excited to be here.

“Seeing the opportunity basketball-wise and seeing the type of environment that they’ve created, the type of success that they’ve had knowing that I could bring something that could get us over the hump and have an opportunity to win, I’m definitely excited to be here. It’s been a great experience so far.”

As for the basketball end of things, Lillard acknowledged he has already thought about how unstoppable a pick-and-roll partnership he and Antetokounmpo could have, but the initial stages of his move has more to do with settling into a new reality.

Leaving the only team and city he’s ever known as a professional – let alone leaving when he had little say in where he was going – created some anxiety. But it didn’t take long before Lillard began to find comfort in the Bucks, in terms of who is on the team.

“I looked it up and I saw what team I was coming to be a part of, and that's when the excitement kicked in,” he said. “Just recognizing the opportunity that it is and just knowing how much I want to win. Going into every season being optimistic and thinking we have a chance to get it done, and then coming into this situation and knowing that you’ve got an opportunity to do it, the excitement definitely kicked in when I sat with it for a little bit.”

And as for teaming up with a player he considers superior, along with a core that has been intact for several years, Lillard felt he’ll be able to settle in smoothly.

“I don't go into any situation expecting things to be about me,” he said. “I know the player that (Antetokounmpo) is, I know the player that I am, and I know how to make my presence felt regardless of the role.”

Lillard then recalled enrolling at Weber State and joining a veteran Trail Blazers team as a rookie, how he handled carving out a role in those situations while respecting the established talent around him.

“But (Antetokounmpo) also needs me to be who I am for us to be our full selves and our best selves as a team,” Lillard said. “I think this is similar to that except that I am older. My understanding of it is even better and I think I'm the best version of myself as a player as well. So I think we'll complement each other really well. And I think he's the kind of guy where he's not going into it thinking about being the man or anything like that either. So I think it will work out perfectly.”

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Newest Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard introduced at media day