Damian Lillard is one of the last truly loyal superstars in the NBA. As part of a small group that includes Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bradley Beal, Dame gets both love and hate for staying true to the team that drafted him.
This week, ex-NBA sharpshooter JR Smith shared his own thoughts and Dame and his loyalty to the Blazers. Without mincing words, he practically begged the 6x All-Star to seek the first route out of town.
“That’s how I feel about Dame,” said Smith. “Like, I love Dame, I love his game, I respect him for doing what he’s doing. But at the same time, it’s like, ‘You just going to rot in Portland, bro?’”
On one hand, it’s easy to take JR’s side here. A player of Dame’s caliber deserves to be competing for a title, and that hasn’t happened yet in Portland. It remains to be seen if it will ever happen.
On the other hand, there’s no guarantee Lillard will win anything if he leaves to join other stars. Just ask James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Ben Simmons. Damian has explained many times before why he is committed to seeing things through with the Blazers, and it’s hard to find fault in his reasoning.
“I’ve always said that if I do something that goes against who I am and say I do end up winning, I know me better than any of y’all know me. So I’d be happy with it, because I don’t think anybody wouldn’t be happy being a champion, but it wouldn’t be as fulfilling to me as I would want that moment to be,” Lillard said. “As long as I have an opportunity to do it, a good opportunity to [compete for a title], I’m willing to go out however. That’s where I’ve always stood, and that’s where I stand. It’s going to get done or it’s not going to get done. I don’t want to go out there with this crazy uphill battle that I’m fighting and we need a miracle times 10 to get it done. I just want a shot at it, and if that happens and it doesn’t work out, then I can live with that.”
Lillard has his reasons for staying, and maybe it’s time for everyone to respect that. Despite saying almost every other month that he’s not going anywhere, rumors are always popping up, suggesting something different.
Who knows, maybe this is the year that Portland makes some strides in the Western Conference. With everyone healthy and at their peak, this could be the best shot Dame has had in years.
