Despite pressure from all sides to jump ship and pursue other opportunities, Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has never wavered from his commitment to winning a championship in Portland.
And while the sharpshooting point guard has not yet accomplished his goal of winning a ring, Jj Redick says the guy is already a champion in his mind.
Speaking with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks, the former NBA guard got real on the Portland star and blasted the NBA’s growing ring culture for trying to discredit the careers of All-Time greats.
“There are different forms of winning, and he used Steve Kerr as an example. Steve Kerr has obviously won championships but when you talk about his relationships with his family, his lifestyle, the respect that people have for him. They called him the ultimate winner from that Chicago Bulls team. Dame is talked about like this a ton, too. You can’t tell me Damian Lillard is not a f–king winner. Yes, he doesn’t have a ring, but I would say that guy’s a champion. He’s a champion.”
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How Long Will Damian Lillard Stay In Portland?
So often in the NBA, the conversation revolves around numbers, and championships are the most important number of all. But there are so many other factors that go into winning a title, and not all of those factors are controllable.
In the case of Damian Lillard, he hasn’t really had a team good enough to get the job done in the NBA playoffs, but there is still plenty of time to change that.
During a recent Q&A session with GQ Sports, where he talked about the player he’d pick to help him win a championship, Dame also talked about his future with the Blazers, revealing for how long he thinks he’ll keep playing with the franchise (3:19 mark).
“I hope so, but we will see,” Dame replied to somebody asking if he’ll play his entire career with the Blazers. “We will see.”
While Dame stopped short of making a lifetime commitment to the team, it’s clear he has no intention of jumping ship anytime soon. In fact, he may be more bought-in than ever.
Despite the team’s mediocre record, the Blazers have been solid with Lillard on the floor this season and the jury is still out on where they fit into the Western Conference playoff picture.
But no matter what happens with the Blazers this season, Lillard will always be a champion in the mind of the people, and that’s got to count for something.
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