Even before Damian Lillard could make his case for a first ring, another distraction has surfaced. In short, it’s a tough job to be a franchise leader. After going through a rollercoaster ride over the past three seasons and recovering from an Achilles injury, he has made a bold call to return to where it all began, a shot at redemption and a title with the Portland Trail Blazers. But just as the chapter takes shape, a blunt question emerges, questioning whether Dame deserved to be in the Hall of Fame.

The disruptor is none other than the former Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverly. A tenacious, physical defender known throughout his 12-year NBA career for getting under opponents’ skin and who has carried that same combative, unfiltered energy into his media persona, the 37-year-old, who currently plays for PAOK Thessaloniki in Greece, stirred the pot on his very own show: the Pat Bev Podcast.

He recalled his conversation with a current teammate, who asked whether Damian Lillard was a Hall of Famer. Responding to his mate on the show, Pat Bev said, “Hell no! Like, I love Dame. I love Dame. I promise you I love Dame. There’s no ill will, no beef with Dame at all.”

Moreover, before addressing why Dame doesn’t deserve HoF, Beverly established that “too many people” are getting honors. Above all, he also determined the criteria for having a shot at one. It’s a combination of points, rebounds, assists, playoff appearances, and rings.

Interestingly, Damian Lillard has everything except a ring. That’s when Bev took a potshot. “If he gets a chip, for sure. But, like, scoring a lot of points on, like, okay teams. You feel me? Like, I don’t think that gets you into the Hall of Fame.”

The “okay teams” label, however, deserves scrutiny. During Lillard’s prime years from 2013 to 2021, the Trail Blazers made eight consecutive playoff appearances, a benchmark of sustained competitiveness that many franchises never reach.

The pinnacle came in the 2018–19 season, when Portland reached the Western Conference Finals, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets before being swept 4–0 by the dynasty-era Golden State Warriors.

Losing to that particular team – featuring Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green- was hardly a mark against Lillard’s squads. A career average of 25.1 ppg across 13 seasons, however, is difficult to sustain against merely ‘okay’ competition, which makes the argument more dismissive than analytical.

Rest aside, Pat doubled down, adding, “We’re gonna say no to D Rose getting MVP and say yes to Dame Lillard,” to strengthen his argument.

The Derrick Rose comparison is worth unpacking, because Rose’s own Hall of Fame case is far from settled. Rose won the 2010–11 MVP at just 22 years old — the youngest recipient in league history — averaging 25 points and 7.7 assists while leading the Chicago Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Then came a series of devastating knee injuries, beginning with a torn ACL in the 2012 playoffs, that permanently altered his career. He missed the entire 2012–13 season recovering from that ACL tear, then suffered a torn right meniscus in November 2013 that wiped out most of the following season as well, costing him well over 130 games across those two years alone. Though he remained active for another decade, he never recaptured that level.

Beverley uses Rose as a ceiling, but it is a ceiling without consensus. However, history says something else.

Damian Lillard and his shot at the HoF

Historically, not every player who received the HoF honor has a ring on their finger. To name a few: Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley, and Reggie Miller. So, in this case, Patrick Beverly’s claim that Dame has shot at the HoF only after winning the ring doesn’t really add up. The history suggests that individual impact has often carried the same weight.

Moreover, multiple media houses vouched that Damian Lillard has a 100% shot at the honor and will be the first one to receive it from the Portland Trail Blazers, who spent a major chunk of their career with the franchise. Especially, ESPN’s Zach Kram listed the 9x All-Star as a future HoF, citing his presence in the ’75 best players ever’. He added, “If they’re among the 75 best players ever, then they’re guaranteed first-ballot inductees.”

On the other hand, looking ahead, Dame’s chance at the ring isn’t bleak.Returning to Portland ahead of the 2026–27 season after his Achilles recovery, the story isn’t closed yet.

Recovering from the injury, the 35-year-old will join a team that’s already thriving with the likes of Jrue Holiday, Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, Jerami Grant, and Donovan Clingan. The lineup sure does promise a deep playoff run.