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Patrick Beverley vs. Damian Lillard: A timeline of the feud

dionysis aravantinos
·7 min read
5

Patrick Beverley has been traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, joining forces with Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo with the goal of winning a championship.

Beverley, however, has a history with Lillard. A beef that goes all the way back to 2013. We take you down memory lane to explain their rivalry.

First battles in 2013-2014...

Damian Lillard and Patrick Beverley faced off for the first time during the 2013-14 regular season. Dame was drafted in 2012 as the starting point guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, while Beverley was trying to find his spot in the NBA. As both were in the Western Conference, they’d play each other several times during the year.

Beverley’s tight and annoying defense, as well as his tenacity on the court, is what started a long-lasting rivalry between the two.

“This competition between me and Dame is going on since I was a rookie, they say he can shoot from half-court, I need to see it,” Patrick Beverley said five months ago in the Gilbert Arenas Podcast.

And in their first matchups, the two even had some scuffles on the court.

After some bad blood between the two players in the regular season, they faced each other in the first round of the playoffs in the Rockets-Blazers series.

Lillard clearly outplayed Beverley averaging 25.5 points and 6.7 assists per game, while also knocking down this iconic game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer in Game 6 to send the Blazers to the second round.

Dislike, but nothing personal

After playing in Houston for several years, Patrick Beverley was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in the Chris Paul trade. While preparing to face Pat Bev in a Clippers jersey, Damian Lillard mentioned the two hated each other when Beverley was in Houston.

“Going up a defender like him is going to bring out the best in me. I’m always up for that challenge. … When he was in Houston those first couple of years, we hated each other. We had some real bad blood, there was a dislike there. But I don’t take it personal, I see him do it all the time,” Lillard had told The Oregonian.

Mutual respect?

Damian Lillard was never the type of player to talk trash during a game. But, when he played against Patrick Beverley or Russell Westbrook, he became a different person.

“Every time I play against Russ, I say something back. Same thing with Pat Beverley. With both players, I have always backed up anything I need to say with how I’m playing,” Lillard told The Athletic back in 2020. But they are two players who it’s important to me to let them know that if that’s what you want to do, you’ve met your match. I’m not intimidated, and I don’t really care what you gotta say, I’m gonna say something back. You know, kind of set that tone. Like, ‘All right … so what?

A few months later, Pat Bev was a guest in JJ Redick’s podcast and was asked who’s been the toughest matchup for him during his NBA career. His answer… Damian Lillard.

“I say Dame. I give it to him. Dame is one of the reasons why I went into the weight room. I told my guys, ‘Hey, I gotta get faster laterally. I don’t feel like I’m fast. I can’t keep up with the speed right now. I don’t know if I need to lose weight. I don’t know if I need to get stronger. I don’t know if I need to hire a new f—ing team. But I need to get f—ing faster.'”

Feud in the NBA bubble...

After Damian Lillard missed two clutch free throws and the Blazers lost to the Clippers, Patrick Beverley waved goodbye to him from the bench.

Damian Lillard didn’t appreciate Beverley’s antics and here’s what he told reporters after the game, mentioning how he had sent Pat Bev home before (2014 playoffs):

The beef didn’t end there. On the same night, after exiting his post-game interview, Dame said (via The Athletic):

“Mother******* still talking sh*t. They’re still hurting, that’s why.”

Several days later, the Clippers blew a 3-1 series lead to the Nuggets and lost in seven games, with Damian Lillard taking on Twitter to clown Beverley and George.

Chris Paul criticism...

In 2022, Patrick Beverley criticized his former teammate Chris Paul for his recent play in a TV appearance. Dame didn’t like that and called him out for his “weird behavior.”

Trolling "Dame Time" in 2023...

During a 2022-23 NBA regular season game, Patrick Beverley and Damian Lillard exchanged words. It all started in the second quarter while Lillard was at the free-throw line.

It didn’t end there, though. In the final minute of the game and with Lillard not making shots, Beverley decided to make fun of his iconic “Dame Time” celebration.

But again, it didn’t end there. Even if Lillard didn’t seem bothered by Beverley’s mocking of his celebration, Beverley wanted credit from the reporters for Lillard’s poor shooting night. On the other, hand Lillard tweeted the following:

And as expected, Pat Bev had to clap back at Lillard:

Lillard's trade to Milwaukee...

When Damian Lillard was traded to Milwaukee prior to the start of the 2023-2024 NBA season, Patrick Beverley took on Twitter to write his opinion on the three-team deal that landed Lillard in Milwaukee and Jrue Holiday in Boston.

Some fans thought this tweet was also a shot at Dame.

Patrick Beverley's trade to the Bucks...

Yesterday, Patrick Beverley was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks and will now be teammates with Damian Lillard. Both seem to want to put their past behind and work for a common goal.

In his reaction to the trade, Beverley even mentioned that he should get his relationship with Dame “right” and work towards winning the title.

Ditto for Lillard.

Story originally appeared on HoopsHype