With NBA fans and experts clamoring for him to get out of Portland, Damian Lillard continues to stay loyal to the team that drafted him. So far, it has led to an amazing career for Dame, who has emerged as the greatest player in Blazers history.
For Lillard, while he’s driven by a desire to win (among other things), he doesn’t feel like he needs a championship to validate his career and lifetime accomplishments.
“Regardless of how successful I was, how great the failure was, the criticism, what people thought I should have done, what people think of me and who they don’t think I’m better than… like, no matter what was happening I wanna be remembered for who I was,” said the Blazers star on how he wants to be remebered. “I stood tall in every situation and I wanna be remembered for that. My thing is, I play the game to win the championship. When you know in your heart that you truly train hard and take care of yourself and do everything to win the championship, I don’t have to prove it to nobody… I don’t need a ring to certify me.”
Love this from Lillard. "I don't need a ring to certify me." He's right. Dame doesn't need a ring to validate his career. In the end, he will know he did everything in his power to be the best. If he doesn't win a ring, he will stand on his principles. https://t.co/SCvSc1nCTc
— ChadinPortland 🎙 (@ChadinRipCity) February 24, 2023
Lillard still has time to capture a title before it’s all said and done, but it’s hard to ignore what he’s saying about ring culture here. So often in today’s NBA media culture, it’s championships or nothing and it often pressures player sin chasing rings to build up their legacy.
Damian doesn’t need that kind of validation from anyone. He’s happy where he’s at and knows the body of work he puts in every day to be the best player he can be on the floor.
Why Damian Lillard Will Never Leave The Blazers
The Trail Blazers have yet to build a true title contender around Damian Lillard, but the process to a championship is never easy and Dame is willing to wait. To him, winning just one title with the Blazers would mean more than winning one anywhere else.
And as Lillard has noted in the past, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
The truth is, Damian has it made in Portland. He’s on a franchise that takes care of him, plays for a fanbase that loves and appreciates him, and has found a home city for his family that he never has to leave.
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