Portland superstar Damian Lillard isn’t typically one to make excuses, but even he cannot deny the reality of his recent injury history.
Speaking to Orlando Sanchez of KGW TV, Dame dropped this bombshell about his health and revealed that his abdominal injury was even worse than he originally believed.
“I didn’t realize how bad [his abdominal injury was] because I’ve been dealing with it for 4.5 years… after the game I’d go home and have a bulge over my pubic area, like a baseball was there… now I really feel the strongest I ever felt.”
Damian Lillard:
“I didn’t realize how bad [his abdominal injury was] because I’ve been dealing with it for 4.5 years… after the game I’d go home and have a bulge over my pubic area, like a baseball was there… now I really feel the strongest I ever felt.”
(via @orlandokgw) pic.twitter.com/uHeUyTso25
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 21, 2022
Of course, this injury is exactly what kept him out for most of the 2021-22 season, but his absence may have been worth it if he’s really feeling as good as he says he is.
When healthy, Lillard is an absolute beast on the court and his shooting ability is matched only by a certain Warriors guard named Stephen Curry.
And while he has faced plenty of challenges over the past few years, he’s also aware and humble enough to know just how good he’s got it.
“Pressure, nah. Fam, this is just playing ball. Pressure is the homeless man, who doesn’t know where his next meal is coming from. Pressure is the single mom, who is trying to scuffle and pay her rent. We get paid a lot of money to play a game. Don’t get me wrong — there are challenges. But to call it pressure is almost an insult to regular people.” (h/t Sporting News)
The Trail Blazers have made a couple of notable additions this summer, including Gary Payton II and two-way swingman Jerami Grant, who will help bolster Portland’s notoriously bad defense.
We will just have to wait and see if it will be enough to push the Blazers over the top, or if it will just be more of the same.
