Damian Lillard Says He Doesn’t Need A Championship To Validate His Career

Blazers star reveals why he doesn't need an NBA Championship to validate his career.

3 Min Read

Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

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.”

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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Nico Martinez is a veteran staff writer for Fadeaway World from Brooklyn, New York. He joined Fadeaway World in 2016 and is currently residing in Columbia, South Carolina. Nico holds a degree in Sports Management from Columbia International University where he built a strong foundation in the inner workings of sports media and management. Nico's contributions have significantly enhanced the credibility and depth of Fadeaway World's content, earning him recognition across the sports journalism community. His work has been discussed in prestigious publications like Sports Illustrated. A dedicated follower of LeBron James, Nico often leads coverage on news related to the basketball star. With nearly a decade of experience in sports journalism, Nico consistently provides comprehensive and timely basketball news, engaging a wide audience of basketball enthusiasts.Nico's most desired player to interview, past or present, is Kevin Durant. He is particularly keen on asking Durant if he has any regrets about his career, especially concerning his departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder, and why he engages so much with fans on social media. 
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