How Damian Lillard Hit 30 and Became the Most Inspiring Player in the NBA
Ferocious and measured, Lillard’s leadership and poise has made clear he’s not wasting Dame Time
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amian Lillard has been a grown-ass goon probably since his diaper days, but in the midst of the NBA’s restart, some sort of mutation has taken hold. The catalyst is still a mystery. Maybe it was turning 30, as he did in July. Maybe it was the hermetically sealed environment of the NBA bubble, where fans are absent but competition isn’t. Regardless, the Trail Blazers’ point guard has officially entered Black-hot, stone-cold, baaad muhfucka territory.
His disposition has become damn near Denzelian — both ferocious and measured, in control yet willing to toss improvisational bombs that break the flow and geometry of a game. And despite his Portland team’s slim chances of getting past the Lakers to the rest of the postseason, Dame has made one thing crystal-clear: he won’t waste a single second of Dame Time.
Coming into the bubble, Lillard’s mission was already in danger; with the Blazers seeded ninth out of 13 teams, simply making the playoffs would require a heroic effort. But after he bricked two clutch free throws against the Clippers at the end of the bubble season and dealt a crucial blow to his team’s chances, he found what he needed: a grudge. As the Blazers shuffled off the court, Clips Paul George and Patrick Beverly cackled, mockingly pointing at their wrists and yelling “Dame Time.”
When asked during the postgame about the Clippers antics, Dame — with the icy stare he’s built a legend on — straight-up murked the troll duo by pulling out itemized receipts. “They know what I do,” he said. “[Patrick Beverly] saw it firsthand when I was a second-year player… I sent him home [in 2014]. Paul George just got sent home by me last year in the playoffs. So, they know.”
You could tell after that clutch loss and the silliness that ensued, that he was gonna scorch the entire bubble. And he did — hitting 40-foot threes…
