Damian Lillard and wife Kay’La are parting ways.
The seven-time NBA All-Star filed for divorce from his college sweetheart on Oct. 2 — less than a week after he was traded from the Trail Blazers to the Bucks, according to the Portland-based Willamette Week.
The filing cited “irreconcilable differences” that “caused the irremediable breakdown” of the now-former couple’s union.
The Lillards wed in September 2021 and have three children together: sons Damian Jr., 5, and 2-year-old twins Kalii and Kali, according to People.
Lillard and Kay’La originally met at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, with the 33-year-old point guard telling Ebony in 2021 how she “took care of” him.
“She had the car, an apartment and bent over backwards for me. Kay’La accepted me with all my flaws as a young man,” Lillard said at the time.
Lillard proposed to Kay’La during the NBA’s All-Star weekend in Chicago in 2020.
“I told her we were attending a new Valentine’s Day event the NBA was hosting. We showed up to the venue where I had a wall full of roses designed with ‘Will You Marry Me?’” he recalled to Ebony.
The divorce news comes as Lillard is starting a new professional chapter with the Bucks.
He was dealt to Milwaukee on Sept. 27 after 11 seasons in Portland.
Lillard — who initially expressed interest in playing for the Heat — will now team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has spoken freely about his uncertainty about his future in Milwaukee.
Shortly after the trade, Lillard posted a heartfelt message to Portland.
“I want to start off by saying this isn’t a goodbye, it’s a see you later,” Lillard wrote. “My words have always been from the heart when it comes to you Rip City. I consider you my home as well as many of my family members and that won’t change. I’ve built my entire adulthood here and made so many friends that I will never forget.”
Lillard averaged 32.2 points and 7.3 assists per game last season.
Read more
