When it comes to loyalty, no player in the NBA embodies that principle more than Damian Lillard, who has spent all of his 8-years in the NBA as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers.
And while his loyalty has not yet resulted in a Championship, Lillard has made it clear what such an achievement would mean to him:
“Like, I can’t express my desire and how bad I want to win it,” Lillard said, via Timothy Rapp of The Athletic. “I want that more than anything. Not just to say I won a championship. But I want to do it in this city. I want to have a parade on Broadway and ride past El Gaucdamian ho (steakhouse). That’s what I think of. Every time the playoffs is starting, I’m going into it like, ‘Is this going to be the year that we shock the world or that we come up big?”’
Obviously, the Blazers enjoy the same luxuries big market teams like the Lakers and Nets do. Attracting star free agents can be challenging.
But for Portland, who has been a steady playoff team since Lillard’s arrival, they have found ways to stay competitive and keep themselves relevant in the Western Conference. Dame’s presence is obviously a huge reason for it.
As for this year, they have an uphill climb if they want to lift the Larry O’Brien this summer. As the sixth seed, with plenty of steep competition, the Blazers will have to play pretty close to perfect if they want to make a deep run.
Nevertheless, Dame and the squad seem up for the challenge.
