Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard

Lillard with the Trail Blazers in 2014
No. 0 – Portland Trail Blazers
Position Point guard
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1990-07-15) July 15, 1990
Oakland, California
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight 195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school St. Joseph Notre Dame
(Alameda, California)
Oakland (Oakland, California)
College Weber State (2008–2012)
NBA draft 2012 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career 2012–present
Career history
2012–present Portland Trail Blazers
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Damian Lamonte Ollie Lillard (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Weber State Wildcats and earned third-team All-American honors in 2012. After being selected by Portland with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, Lillard won the NBA Rookie of the Year by unanimous decision. He has twice been named an NBA All-Star.

High school career

During his sophomore year, Lillard transferred to St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda, California, a private school that produced former NBA point guard Jason Kidd, but by year's end he looked to transfer again due to the lack of playing time. Lillard played for coach Orlando Watkins at Oakland High School his final two years of high school where he was first team all-league. As a junior at Oakland, he averaged 19.4 points per game.[1] He averaged 22.4 points and 5.2 assists per game his senior season and led Oakland to a 23-9 record.[1] Lillard's development also grew during the summer of 2007[2] playing for Oakland's premier Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball program, the Oakland Rebels.[3]

Lillard was not heavily recruited out of high school and only regarded as a two-star prospect by Rivals.com.[4] Lillard was ranked as the No. 48 point guard in 2008 by ESPN.com.[5] He would accept a scholarship offer to play for Weber State University, a mid-major school located in Ogden, Utah.

College career

As a freshman, Lillard averaged 11.5 points per game and was named conference Freshman of the Year and first-team All Big Sky; the first Big Sky freshman to do so since Eastern Washington's Rodney Stuckey in 2006.

His sophomore year, Lillard raised his scoring average to 19.9 points per game and led the Weber State Wildcats to the regular season conference championship. At the end of the season, Lillard was named the Big Sky Player of the Year and was an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press.[6]

In 2010–11, Lillard was again off to a good start. However, his season was cut short after he suffered a foot injury ten games into the season and was forced to take a medical redshirt.[7] Lillard led the Big Sky in scoring with 19.7 points per game before his injury sidelined him for the year.

As a redshirt junior, Lillard averaged 24.5 points and led the nation in scoring throughout most of the year but ended up finishing second to Oakland University's Reggie Hamilton. On December 3, 2011, against San Jose State, Lillard scored a college career-high 41 points, including a game-winning three-point play that gave Weber State a 91–89 double-overtime win.[8] At the end of the year, he was named to his third first-team all-conference selection and won his second Big Sky Player of the Year award. Lillard was also a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award.[9]

After his strong year, Lillard was widely regarded as the top point guard prospect in the country and decided to forgo his senior season to enter the 2012 NBA draft.[10] He finished his college career as the No. 2 scorer in Weber State history (1,934 points) and the No. 5 scorer in Big Sky history.

College statistics

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 Weber State 31 26 29.4 .434 .374 .841 3.9 2.9 1.1 .2 11.5
2009–10 Weber State 31 31 34.3 .431 .393 .853 4.0 3.6 1.1 .1 19.9
2010–11 Weber State 10 9 28.5 .438 .345 .857 3.8 3.3 1.4 .2 17.7
2011–12 Weber State 32 32 34.5 .467 .409 .887 5.0 4.0 1.5 .2 24.5
Career 104 98 32.3 .446 .390 .867 4.3 3.5 1.2 .2 18.6

College awards and honors

Professional career

Portland Trail Blazers (2012–present)

2012–13 season: Rookie of the Year

Lillard attempts a jump shot over Draymond Green in January 2013

Lillard was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. On July 13, 2012, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Trail Blazers[11] and went on to earn co-MVP honors in the NBA Summer League with averages of 26.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists. On October 31, 2012, in his NBA debut against the Los Angeles Lakers, Lillard recorded 23 points and 11 assists. He joined Oscar Robertson and Isiah Thomas as the only players in NBA history with at least 20 points and 10 assists in their NBA debuts. On December 16, 2012, Lillard made his first career game winner by hitting a buzzer-beating three-pointer with 0.3 seconds remaining to give the Trail Blazers a 95–92 win over the New Orleans Hornets.[12]

During NBA All-Star Weekend, he participated in the Rising Stars Challenge and won the Taco Bell Skills Challenge. On April 10, 2013, Lillard scored a season-high 38 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Later, he was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in April and swept the Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards for the entire 2012–2013 season.

Lillard averaged 19.0 points, 6.5 assists, and 3.1 rebounds on the year and set an NBA rookie record for three-point field goals made with 185. He joined Oscar Robertson and Allen Iverson as the only rookies in NBA history to record 1,500 points and 500 assists in a season, and became just one of two Trail Blazers to ever finish with 1,500 points and 500 assists in a season (Clyde Drexler being the other).[13] He was named the unanimous Rookie of the Year and became just the fourth rookie to win the award unanimously, following Blake Griffin (2011), David Robinson (1990), and Ralph Sampson (1984).[14]

2013–14 season: First All-Star selection

On September 30, 2013, the Trail Blazers exercised their third-year team option on Lillard's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2014–15 season.[15]

On January 7, 2014, Lillard scored a season-high 41 points in a loss to the Sacramento Kings, including 26 points in the fourth quarter; a franchise record for most points scored in any quarter.[16]

Lillard was voted in by the coaches to participate in his first All-Star Game. He became the first player in NBA history to take part in five events during NBA All-Star Weekend. Lillard was in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night, the Skills Challenge, Three-Point Shootout, and Dunk Contest on Saturday night, and the All-Star game on Sunday night.[17] He teamed up with Utah Jazz guard Trey Burke in the Skills Challenge and won first place.

Lillard averaged 20.7 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.5 rebounds on the season and helped lead Portland to a 54-28 record. Portland finished fifth in the western conference and would meet the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2014 NBA playoffs.

On April 20, 2014, in a game one victory over Houston, Lillard recorded 31 points, 5 assists, and 1 turnover. He became the first player in NBA history to register 30+ points with only one turnover in their playoff debut. On May 2, 2014, in game six of the series, Lillard hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to clinch the series and send the Trail Blazers to the second round. Portland won the series against Houston 4-2 and would make their first second-round appearance since 2000.[18] Lillard joined Ralph Sampson, Michael Jordan, and John Stockton as the only players in NBA history to make a game-winning buzzer beater to clinch a playoff series.[19]

Portland would go on to lose to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in the conference semi-finals. Lillard averaged 22.9 points, 6.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds for the playoffs. On June 4, 2014, he was named to the 2014 All-NBA third team for the first time in his career.[20]

2014–15 season: Second All-Star selection

On September 29, 2014, the Trail Blazers exercised their fourth-year team option on Lillard's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2015–16 season.[21] On December 19, 2014, Lillard scored a career-high 43 points in the Trail Blazers' 129-119 triple overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs.[22] On February 8, 2015, Lillard was selected as the replacement for the injured Blake Griffin in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game.[23] On March 4, 2015, Lillard recorded a career-high 18 rebounds in a 98-93 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.[24] The Blazers finished the season with a record of 51-31, which was good for the fourth seed in the Western Conference. They faced the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs where they lost the series in five games.

2015–16 season: Franchise player

Lillard (with the ball) playing for the Blazers in 2016.

On July 9, 2015, Lillard signed a five-year, $120 million contract extension with the Trail Blazers.[25][26] On October 28, 2015, Lillard recorded 21 points and 11 assists in a season-opening win over the New Orleans Pelicans. His one three-pointer made during the game was his 600th career three-point field goal, making him the fastest NBA player in history to reach the mark at 247 games. In addition, Lillard's 11 assists gave him 1,500 for his career, making him the fastest Trail Blazer to reach the milestone since Terry Porter (1987–88 season, 215 games).[27] In the following game on October 30 against the Phoenix Suns, Lillard became the fastest player to reach 5,000 points and 1,500 assists (248 games) since Derrick Rose (240 games).[28]

On December 12, in a loss to the New York Knicks, Lillard became the first Blazer since Clyde Drexler in 1991–92 to record 600 points and 150 assists during the team's first 25 games.[29] On December 21, Lillard missed the first game of his career with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, ending his streak of playing in 275 consecutive games. Backcourt partner C. J. McCollum also missed the game, leaving the Trail Blazers without their two leading scorers to face the Atlanta Hawks, subsequently losing the game 106–97.[30] He missed a further six games with the injury, returning to action on January 4 against the Memphis Grizzlies and recording 17 points and 7 assists in a 91–78 loss.[31] On January 8, he scored a then season-high 40 points in a loss to the Golden State Warriors.[32] On January 18, in a win over the Washington Wizards, he hit his 2,000th NBA field goal, one of only eight players to reach that mark since he entered the league in 2012–13.[33] On January 26, in a win over the Sacramento Kings, Lillard recorded 15 points and 13 assists for his 10th double-double of the season, a career-high.[34] On February 19, he scored a career-high 51 points in a 137–105 win over the Golden State Warriors. He became the first player in NBA history to have at least 50 points, seven assists and six steals since the steal became an official statistic in 1973–74.[35] Two days later, he scored 30 points against the Utah Jazz, becoming the first Blazer to score at least 30 points in four consecutive games since Clyde Drexler accomplished the feat in 1991.[36] He extended that streak to five in the team's following game on February 23 against the Brooklyn Nets.[37] Over his first 300 games in the NBA, Lillard averaged 21.2 points and 6.2 assists per game. Only four other players in NBA history averaged 21 points and six assists over their first 300 games: Oscar Robertson (30.2 and 10.3), Nate Archibald (24.5 and 8.4), LeBron James (26.7 and 6.4) and Dwyane Wade (24.0 and 6.4).[38] On March 4, he had his second 50-point game of the season in a 117–115 loss to the Toronto Raptors.[39]

On March 8, Lillard had 41 points and 11 assists in a 116–109 overtime win over the Washington Wizards, recording his 15th straight game with 20-plus points. He also had his 400th assist of the season, making him the first Trail Blazer with 400-plus assists in each of his first four seasons.[40] In the Trail Blazers' season finale on April 13 against the Denver Nuggets, Lillard hit his 827th career three-pointer, besting Wesley Matthews' Portland franchise record of 826. Lillard finished the regular season with an average of 25.1 points per game, while C. J. McCollum averaged 20.8 – making them the first backcourt in Blazers' history to average 20 or more points apiece. Lillard also became the third Blazer to average 25-plus points, joining Clyde Drexler and Kiki Vandeweghe.[41]

After defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs, the Trail Blazers moved on to face the Golden State Warriors in the second round. In Game 3 of the series, Lillard recorded 40 points and 10 assists to help the Trail Blazers win 120–108, cutting the Warriors' advantage in the series to 2–1.[42] The Trail Blazers went on to lose the series in five games.

2016–17 season

In the Trail Blazers' season opener on October 25, 2016, Lillard recorded 39 points on 13-of-20 shooting, as well as 9 rebounds and 6 assists in a 113–104 win over the Utah Jazz. With his first assist of the night, Lillard passed Jim Paxson for sixth on the franchise career list (2,008).[43] Four days later, he scored 37 points, including the go-ahead floater with less than a second remaining in overtime, to lead the Trail Blazers to a 115–113 win over the Denver Nuggets.[44] With 27 points against the Phoenix Suns on November 2, Lillard became the first NBA player to score 27 or more points in each of his team's first five games since Kobe Bryant in 2005–06. Lillard's 163 points in the season's first five games are the most ever by a Blazer to start a season.[45] Two days later, Lillard scored 27 of his season-high 42 points in the second half of the Trail Blazers' 105–95 win over the Dallas Mavericks.[46] With 38 points on November 8 against the Phoenix Suns, Lillard had 262 points over the first eight games of the season, the most through the first eight games of a season in franchise history. It was also the most by an NBA player since Kobe Bryant had 264 through the first eight in 2009–10.[47]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 Portland 82 82 38.6 .429 .368 .844 3.1 6.5 .9 .2 19.0
2013–14 Portland 82 82 35.8 .424 .394 .871 3.5 5.6 .8 .3 20.7
2014–15 Portland 82 82 35.7 .434 .343 .864 4.6 6.2 1.2 .3 21.0
2015–16 Portland 75 75 35.7 .419 .375 .892 4.0 6.8 .9 .4 25.1
Career 321 321 36.5 .426 .370 .870 3.8 6.3 .9 .3 21.4
All-Star 2 0 12.5 .350 .400 .000 1.5 1.0 .5 .0 10.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2014 Portland 11 11 42.4 .439 .386 .894 5.1 6.5 1.0 .1 22.9
2015 Portland 5 5 40.2 .406 .161 .781 4.0 4.6 .4 .6 21.6
2016 Portland 11 11 39.7 .368 .393 .910 4.3 6.3 1.3 .3 26.5
Career 27 27 40.9 .400 .356 .881 4.6 6.1 1.0 .3 24.1

Personal life

Lillard wears the jersey number #0, representative for the letter 'O' and his journey in life; from Oakland, to Ogden, and now Oregon.[48] Lillard is a Christian; he has a scripture on his left arm of Psalms 37:1-3.[49] He completed his degree in professional sales from Weber State University in May 2015.[50] Lillard's sister, LaNae, attended Lakeridge High School, while his brother, Houston, is an Indoor Football League quarterback.[51][52]

Lillard is a hip-hop artist and rapper. He 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. In July 2015, he released his first full length single, "Soldier in the Game", via the online music streaming site SoundCloud.[53] On October 21, 2016, Lillard released his debut album The Letter O.[54] He also has a signature shoe line called the "Adidas D Lillard".[55]

Discography

References

  1. 1 2 "Damian Lillard's high school coach saw the skill and chip". MaxPreps.com. January 8, 2014. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
  2. ↑ "Scout.com: 2008 Introduction: Damian Lillard". FoxSports.com. 2007-08-01. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  3. ↑ "Oakland Rebels Alumni". Oakland Rebels. Retrieved 2013-07-30.
  4. ↑ "Damian Lillard – Yahoo! Sports". Rivals.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
  5. ↑ Damian Lillard ESPN.com Recruiting Profile
  6. ↑ "Damian Lillard Named 2009–10 Big Sky MVP". weberstatesports.com. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
  7. ↑ "Lillard gets medical redshirt; Wildcat star's junior season restored". standard.net. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
  8. ↑ "Weber St. 91, San Jose St. 89". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 3, 2011. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  9. ↑ "Big Sky Conference – Lillard Among Cousy Final Five". .bigskyconf.com. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
  10. ↑ "Big Sky Conference – Lillard Declares for NBA Draft". .bigskyconf.com. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
  11. ↑ Damian Lillard, Meyers Leonard sign Trail Blazers rookie contracts
  12. ↑ Notebook: Trail Blazers 95, Hornets 94
  13. ↑ Damian Lillard Stats, Video, Bio, Profile
  14. ↑ "Damian Lillard Named Kia NBA Rookie Of The Year". Portland Trail Blazers. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  15. ↑ Trail Blazers exercise 3rd-year options on Damian Lillard, Meyers Leonard, Thomas Robinson
  16. ↑ Tokito, Mike (8 January 2014). "Damian Lillard's career high and record quarter aren't enough for Trail Blazers". oregonlive.com. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  17. ↑ NBA: Damian Lillard to make history at All-Star weekend
  18. ↑ "Lillard's 3 clinches series win for Portland – Yahoo! Sports". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
  19. ↑ Lillard's historic shot rings out in Portland| NBA.com
  20. ↑ Durant, LeBron headline 2013-14 All-NBA First Team
  21. ↑ Trail Blazers Exercise Option On Damian Lillard
  22. ↑ Lillard scores 43 as Blazers beat Spurs in 3 OT
  23. ↑ Lillard replaces Griffin as All-Star
  24. ↑ Batum rallies Trail Blazers past Clippers 98-93 in OT
  25. ↑ "Trail Blazers Sign Damian Lillard to Contract Extension". NBA.com. July 8, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  26. ↑ Stein, Marc (July 2, 2015). "Damian Lillard agrees to 5-year, $120 million extension with Trail Blazers". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  27. ↑ "McCollum scores 37 as Blazers down Pelicans 112-94". NBA.com. October 28, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Bledsoe, Knight lead Suns to 110-92 win over Portland". NBA.com. October 30, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Anthony scores 37, Knicks beat Blazers to end skid at 4". NBA.com. December 12, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Schroder, Hawks beat short-handed Trail Blazers 106-97". NBA.com. December 21, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Randolph leads Grizzlies to 91-78 win over Trail Blazers". NBA.com. January 4, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Thompson leads Warriors to 128-108 win over the Blazers". NBA.com. January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Trail Blazers rebound from loss to 76ers by beating Wizards". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  34. ↑ "McCollum helps Trail Blazers beat Kings 112-97". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Lillard scores career-high 51, Blazers beat Warriors 137-105". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  36. ↑ "McCollum scores 31 as Trail Blazers edge Jazz 115-111". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 21, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Damian Lillard 2015-16 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Thomas helps Celtics beat Blazers for 12th straight home win". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 2, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  39. ↑ "DeRozan gets FT record; Raptors beat Lillard, Blazers". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  40. ↑ "Lillard has 41 and Blazers beat Wizards 116-109 in OT". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  41. ↑ "Playoff destination sealed, Blazers beat Nuggets 107-99". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Lillard has 40, Blazers cut Warriors' advantage to 2-1". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. May 7, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  43. ↑ "Lillard scores 39, Blazers run home-opening win streak to 16". ESPN.com. October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Lillard hits floater, Blazers beat Nuggets 115-113 in OT". ESPN.com. October 29, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  45. ↑ "Bledsoe's 3 sinks Blazers in OT, 118-115". ESPN.com. November 2, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  46. ↑ "Lillard scores 42 as Trail Blazers beat Mavericks 105-95". ESPN.com. November 4, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  47. ↑ "Lillard has 38 and Blazers hold off Suns 124-121". ESPN.com. November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Lillard".
  49. ↑ Hooped Up, July 13, 2012. Damian Lillard ‘Psalm 37′ Tattoo Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  50. ↑ Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard receives college degree
  51. ↑ Lakeridge's LaNae Lillard, sister of Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard, making strides for Pacers
  52. ↑ Damian Lillard's Brother Didn't Make the Portland Thunder
  53. ↑ Damian Lillard aka Dame DOLLA drops new rap song 'Soldier in the Game'
  54. ↑ Check Out Damian Lillard's Debut Rap Album 'The Letter O'
  55. ↑ Rooney, Kyle (31 October 2016). "Damian Lilard rocks Adidas D Lilard 3". Hotnewhiphop. Retrieved 31 October 2016.

External links

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