How A 2 Star Recruit Became An NBA Superstar

in high school Damien Lillard was short skinny and just a two-star recruit after that he played for a college nobody had ever heard of the title of my movie is its day get ready for game time story of Lillard's unlikely roads to the NBA and how he became the most clutch player of the last decade Damien grew up on the Mean Streets of Oakland where there was only one rule on the court kill or be killed James spent most of his childhood on the playgrounds and would often play against much older competition when he saw that his older brother had a better crossover Damon didn't stop until he perfected his by the age of 13 he told his family he'll make the NBA win Rookie of the Year and become an All-Star however everybody just laughed at him when he joined the varsity team as a High School freshman Lillard was only five foot five by the end of his sophomore season he was five foot nine but he wasn't the guy and didn't get much playing time game's coach even told him that his chances of making the NBA are zero thankfully Dame got plenty of playing time for the local youth club named Oakland Rebels and it was with the rebels when he made his first game-winning shot which was both embarrassing and educational the rebels played a local tournament and were the underdog and an elimination game against Jared Bayless a future NBA player Dane was the best scorer on the rebels but far from a star and nobody gave him much attention next to Bayless and it all came down to the final possession but the rebels down by two Willard caught the offensive rebounds sprinted behind to the three-point line and Rose up for a three I just raised up for three with a dude right in my face he right underneath me I raise up I hit the three and I go crazy and it was the birth of Dame time with one big difference when he hits a game-winner in the NBA Lillard is super common ice cold never showing too much emotion but back in that tournament as a High School junior Lillard went wild after he hit the shot he took off his jersey and started screaming in excitement which was the worst thing he could have done there were still two seconds on the clock when his shot went in and when the ref saw him shirtless then got a technical and the opponent's got two free throws Bayless converted both freebies the rebels lost the game and Lillard felt huge embarrassment swearing that he'll never get out of control like that again as a high school senior Lillard averaged 22 points and five assists per game but due to the fact he was listed at six feet and only 165 pounds no big school gave him a serious look damn was considered a two-star recruit and he only received college offers from four schools in the ends he chose a little-known university in Utah called Weber State because they were the first school that believed in him and offered him a scholarship as a freshman Lillard wasn't all that and he averaged just 11 points but the next season he improved to 20 points per game and led the Wildcats to the conference Championship it was named conference Player of the Year my experience at Weber State I thought it was a great experience like the fact that I was around great people the community they really accepted me my coaches treated me the same way they treated me when they recruited me and the team was really like a family still it was a small school in a week conference and it wasn't like he was dropping 20 a night against Duke in Kentucky but in his Junior season Dane continued with great form and his name started appearing on the NBA draft boards and then disaster struck Dane broke his foot and was ruled out for the season after the injury Lillard's name immediately disappeared from all mock drafts my junior year I break my foot like right when I thought I was about to be able to just enter the draft I break my foot and then I look at the draft boards in my name ain't on there no more and while most players would get discouraged and believe their NBA chances were gone Dane was more motivated than ever before the injury humbled him and proved to be a blessing in disguise he realized how much he missed the game which made him work even harder I knew people would doubt me after that after I broke my foot because it was already a lot of doubt you know because I was coming from a smaller school I really tried to find things that I could you know help myself with without having to be on the floor that was the first time he started lifting weights which improved his upper body and he's been going to the gym religiously ever since other than the gym Dame was also on the court every day he was shooting from a chair which added more Arc to his shot and enabled him to shoot with more range he even dribbled the ball in a walking Booth doing ball handling drills on one leg until his arms started hurting so when the next season started Lillard didn't need any time to get back in shape he returned physically stronger with better ball handling and with an improved shot as a red shirt Junior Dame averaged 24.5 points and finished second in the nation in scoring winning another player of the conference award before the 2012 draft a six foot two Lillard was considered the top point guard in his draft class and in the end he was the first point guard selected with the sixth overall pick Andy joined the Portland Trailblazers the Portland Trailblazers select Damian Lillard of Weber State University even though he was from Oakland like Gary Payton and Jason Kidd Dane was not loud when he arrived in the NBA he just kept his head down and kept working Lillard did not impress with his voice but from his very first game it became clear that this kid would be a serious player in his debut Dame scored 23 points with 11 assists he didn't change his facial expression he didn't scream he just had that icy confidence about him and he delivered every night back to Lillard Lillard for the win yes Willard kept a promise to his mother in one Rookie of the Year and did so in a spectacular fashion in a draft class with Anthony Davis Bradley Beal and Andre Drummond Lillard became just the eighth player in NBA history to win every rookie of the month award and just the fourth player to win Rookie of the Year unanimously in his first season he led all rookies in scoring assists minutes played and three-point field goals made the 2012-2013 NBA Kia Rookie of the Year Damien Lillard as a sophomore even though Lillard's numbers stayed virtually the same the Blazers improved significantly Dane became an All-Star together with teammate Lamarcus Aldrich and Portland qualified for the playoffs in the first round they squared up against the Rockets who had Harden and Howard and who were considered heavy favorites but after five games the Blazers LED three games to two and were in the position to win their first playoff series in 14 years with just .9 seconds to go in game six the Rockets had a two-point lead and it seemed like they would force game seven unfortunately for the Rockets the Blazers had Lilith he got the shot off [Applause] and the Blazers everybody expected the ball to reach Aldridge's hands because he was Portland's best player but Dame unexpectedly got wide open got the ball and shot a deep three the ball went in for the win and Dane became a hero unlike that time against Jared Bailey us he didn't rip off his jersey he stoically just walked it off with an icy stare until his teammates corralled him and knocked him to the floor in his first ever playoff series Lillard averaged 25-6 and 6 with nearly 50 percent shooting from three in the second round against the Spurs game averaged 19 points but the Spurs were too strong and won the series in five games in Damien's third season he again featured virtually the same stats of 21 points and six and a half assists per game making his second All-Star team shut him down like he did last year a little fires oh are you kidding me at the horn but after a disappointing first round playoff exit the Trailblazers came to a Crossroads four of the five starters led by Lamarcus Aldrich left the team Lillard was the only one left and it seemed like Portland would be bad for a long time except the space opened up for another great draft pick CJ McCollum CJ blossomed as a starter and the Blazers again had two players who guaranteed 20 points each night Lillard improved his numbers to 25 points and seven assists per game and Portland didn't skip a beat making the postseason for the third straight time in the playoffs they got past the clippers but then lost to the Warriors despite 31 points per game from Dan 2017 Lillard improved his regular season averages to 27 points but somehow missed the All-Star game for a second straight year the Blazers weren't very good that's why they decided to trade for Center Yusuf nurkic someone who runs well controls the defensive boards and sets great screens with the Bosnian beast on the inside the Blazers made the playoffs but in the first round they got swept by the almighty Warriors next season was more of the same Lillard averaged 27-6 and this time he did make the All-Star and all NBA first team the Blazers were third in the west but this time it was the Pelicans who swept them from the first round of the playoffs he lost in the first round and we got swept with home court advantage so it was like got three loss in New Orleans I was just hurt for like a month I was just I didn't want to watch basketball or nothing I just was hurt one of the main reasons for the Blazers playoff failure was the fact that Lillard could not solve the opponents doubling him in the pick and roll he finished that series with only 18 points on horrible 35 shooting 30 percent for three and only 19 assists to 16 turnovers it was a huge disappointment in how inefficient and helpless Damon McCollum were in the playoffs and the dooming questions started to arise should Dame ask for a trade but as you can probably guess Dame didn't do that he worked tirelessly over the summer to improve his game he watched hours of video of the playoffs and the entire season and the following year he returned as a fitter and better player and soon became one of the most complete pick and roll ball handlers in the NBA Lillard became a master in reading the pick and roll coverage and started making great decisions against every scheme designed to stop him he is now able to anticipate trap defenses and kick the ball out before the double comes or he patiently waits for it to come only to split the double and pass to an open teammate if a team uses drop coverage against him Dame will just shoot over the top and kill you from the outside he became very comfortable with the step back shot which is arguably one of the best in the NBA in one-on-one situations Lillard has excellent hesitation dribbles that free him up or we'll just turn on the Nitro and break through his guard on the way to the hoop for us we proud of the way we bounce back after last year I think it says something about the character of our our group in an environment that we've created and we also know that you know we got to come out here and perform but I think the good thing is that we were really excited about getting back and redeeming ourselves so I'm just happy that we we had that opportunity again the 2019 season saw a much more patient and mature Liller and it was most noticeable in the playoffs against OKC in the first round Dame was Surgical and dissecting the Thunder defense who threw everything against him and couldn't do much in game five of the series The Score was tied with a few seconds to go and Lillard dribbled the ball up the floor guarded by Paul George the whole world expected him to drive to the basket and get a close look um so I was standing there looking at the rim and I was like this is a comfortable range Dame just raised up from 35 feet and hit a buzzer beater that clinched the game and the series for the Blazers again just like that shot against Houston there was no celebration just a cold stare and a friendly reminder that clutch time means it's Dame time he took one little step this way I crossed it back over and I jumped to the right and I got a clean look at The Rim I was like that's going in in the second round the Blazers were pushed to game seven against the Nuggets but they managed to win and Advance finally in their first Conference Finals since 2000 Portland had a great chance against the Warriors who had injured Kevin Durant once again Golden State proved to be too big a bite for the Blazers to chew Lillard and McCollum had great moments but Steph and the warriors were just on another level and they swept Portland again in the off season Dane was entering the final year of his deal and Portland was afraid that he might look for greener pastures but Dame is a loyal guy he chose Weber State because they were the first to offer him a scholarship he still had the same coach from Weber State as his personal trainer when a new player arrives in Portland game shows him around takes him out to dinner and makes them feel at home Dame even received the J Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award that the NBA gives for outstanding service and dedication to the community I think people get the Loyalty thing about me wrong all the time they think I'm being so loyal to an organization and so loyal to you know a team the loyalty is ultimately to myself to who I am this team hasn't won since 77. I want to be a part of what brings that back then two years later he also received the award for NBA teammate of the year so for Dame chasing Rings somewhere else was never an option he wanted to stay and win in Portland and he signed a four-year extension I do want to win a championship but there's other stuff that means more to me it's almost like I'm not willing to sell myself out for that in 2020 he had his best regular season in the NBA averaging 30 points and eight assists per game but Portland suffered another blow in the first round of the playoffs he did watch the bad taste from his mouth by going to the Tokyo Olympics where he won the gold medal with Team USA then in 2021 Dame had another spectacular season with 29 Points seven and a half assists on average but once again the first round was the furthest the Blazers God despite Lillard averaging 34 points and 10 assists in the series against the nuggets on him five left to the game Lillard fading away the three he gets Damien and after nine Seasons the Blazers fired coach Terry Stotts and replaced him with Chauncey Billups but before we could have seen how Chauncey would impact the Blazers then got hurt in 2022 he played only 29 games after which the management decided to break up Damon CJ McCollum got traded to New Orleans in 2023 Dame returned to his usual form and is currently averaging 27 points and seven assists per game since 2012 when Lillard entered the league team is the player with the most points scored in clutch time for a tie or lead in the last five minutes of the game in his 11-year career there isn't a team in the NBA that hasn't been a victim of game time at least once and his celebration of pointing at his wrist saying game time has become iconic and he's just a loyal guy and it goes back to his days at Weber State he turned a small opportunity into like a really big opportunity Portland's sort of the same it's a small Market he's made it his own he's loyal I think he really believes something special can happen there so far Lillard made the all-nba team six times made the NBA 75 best player list and is in the top 10 all-time and three-pointers made and in free throw percentage if he retired today Lillard would be a Hall of Famer and on top of everything he's one of the most humble and definitely the most loyal NBA superstar of today whether he manages to win a ring in Portland or not he'll retire as one of the best Shooters in NBA history and one of the most clutch players to ever play foreign

Channel: Nonstop

Views: 1,046,328

Keywords: NBA, damian lillard

Id: XV43vdtUs68

Length: 16min 4sec (964 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 23 2023