Twitter
Advertisement

Damian Lillard set out to leave a trail with Blazers

Portland point guard is keen to accomplish a lot in NBA, says he is ready for the challenges ahead

Latest News
article-main
An avid boxing fan, Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard says Floyd Mayweather will get the better of Manny Pacquiao in their bout in Las Vegas in May
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Damian Lillard's rise to the top has been unprecedented even by his standards. If winning the Rookie of the Year in his debut season in 2013 with the Portland Trailblazers wasn't enough, the hoopster followed it up with inclusions in the NBA All-Star team in 2014. For the 24-year-old from Oakland, it's neither the past nor the future that he's most interested about. It's always been about the present for Lillard.

"I think the biggest thing is just to stay in the moment. Most of the time, I'm just probably trying to focus on the moment – not trying to have any worries, not worried about missing or making. Just go out there and making it happen. That's my mindset and just live with it if you make the shot or not. I think I get a lot of confidence because I'm not afraid to fail in those late-game situations," said Lillard, who was signed by the Trailblazers in 2012.
Lillard, who plays point guard for the current leaders in the Western Conference, knows that with performances and accolades, it's easy for his mind to get diverted.

He is now the face of Adidas in the NBA these days and recently launched his own sneaker line. At no point did Lillard expect things to come so much and so soon, a proof of his level-headedness and the need to set new goals with every passing season.

"You know, when you have peers like mine with so many high-level point guards and you want to be considered one of the best, it's a constant job. You're constantly working at your game, and constantly trying to will your team to win so you can be in that elite company. It's easy to motivate myself. I haven't won a championship yet, there's a lot of things that I haven't accomplished. I'm still early in my career, I got a lot that I can be better at and a lot that I need to accomplish," said the avid Steve Nash fan.

With Trailblazers booking their place in the Western Conference playoffs, Lillard knows the challenge that awaits his side. "It's so tough, you got to be ready for a challenge no matter what series you play in. I think every team in the West provides a different type of challenge. It's going to be a fight and I think our team has accepted that. We've just got to go out there and be ready for whoever. I don't have a preference who I would like to play against. I'm not opposed to playing against anybody."

For Lillard and his teammates, defeat last season has spurred them go one step higher. "The best lesson was playing against the Spurs. I think they showed us a great example of the brand of basketball that you need to play to be champions. I think we took a lot home from that series," said Lillard, who was a part of the Trailblazers side that lost 4-1 in the Conference semifinals last season.

Lillard, a hip-hop and rap music lover, started a social media trend called 'Four Bar Friday' in which he, and anyone who chooses to participate, submits a video of themselves rapping a small verse on Instagram every Friday with the hashtag #4BarFriday.

Lillard gave a sneak peak as to what he has in store for fans. "This summer, I plan on trying to make time to put out a mixtape and maybe in the future I'll put up an album but it's up in the air right now. Music is another one of my passions but basketball is first. The playoffs are coming up so that's what I'm focused on right now," added Lillard, who is also a boxing fan.

"I respect Pacquiao as a boxer, but I'm a Mayweather fan. I'm not just a fan of him being undefeated and probably the best pound for pound boxer ever. But I'm a fan of his work ethic. You hear a lot about his trash talk and you know how flashy he is. But I think anybody that works as hard as him deserves to be as successful as him. I really respect his work ethic so I think because of that he'll come up on top," said Lillard when asked about the much-awaited bout on May 2 at Las Vegas.

KNOW LILLARD
Born: July 15, 1990
Team: Portland Trailblazers
Position: Point guard
NBA Rookie of the Year: 2013
NBA All-Star: 2014

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement