Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has been overlooked countless times over the course of his career. Whether it’s the All-Star team, All-NBA team, or any other matter of recognition, Lillard is seemingly always an afterthought in the minds of the media and fans.
During the 2021 All-Star game, for example, he had to come off the bench after receiving fewer votes than Dallas youngster Luka Doncic.
Even now, the guy continues to be disrespected.
In an ESPN poll of ‘experts’ and ‘analysts,’ award predictions for the ’21-’22 season were made, featuring MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and others.
Considering the performance Lillard put on last year, one would think he would crack the top 5, right?
In fact, he wasn’t even in the top 7, falling behind Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, James Harden, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James on the list.
He also had trouble getting votes in last year’s race, despite the superstar himself having made a pretty good case for it back in April:
“I am not a loud person and don’t go out there and celebrate after everything that I do. I don’t make crazy statements and people get bored with consistency. If you look at my career, every year, I find something to get better at. I find a way to make my team win and I don’t make a big uproar about it. Don’t do anything crazy to draw attention to myself, I just get the job done,” he explained.
Indeed, Dame is a guy who puts his head down and goes to work — with no grumbling or dramatics.
Through 9 years, Lillard is a 6x All-Star, 6x All-NBA player, and 24.7 point-per-game scorer. While he has yet to win an MVP, the 2021-22 season could be the time.
We’ll just have to wait and see.
