I think thats why I was able to branch off and do my own thing.. As a junior, he finished second in the country in points per game. About the undersized point guard, overlooked by Bay Area schools, who went to Weber State with a chip the weight of one of those old dirty bricks on his shoulder and developed into the future of a franchise. This is where Damian Lillard calls home. If a single arm bent, then everyone had to run. He has been named Oregon Sportswriter of the Year four times by the National Sports Media Association and has been recognized by APSE and the Pro Basketball Writers Association. When we played at Mack, the seats were right on the court and they were always saying a lot of stuff in the crowd. AP. Still, he scored 20 or more points for the 22nd consecutive appearance. Lillards performance was so special that even league officials took notice and randomly drug tested him immediately after the contest. Damian Lillard High School Pos PG Height 6-1 Weight 185 Timeline Prospect Info High School Oakland City Oakland, CA Class 2008 Watch Highlights He used to be able to dunk on you, but he hasnt been able to in years and his knees still hurt. LEGENDARY. at Oakland in Oakland, California, Draft: Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). And then we come out in the second half, and in the third quarter, he just made every right play. The Portland Trail Blazers took Damian Lillard with the sixth overall pick in the NBA draft. He played for the varsity basketball team at his high school in Oakland, California. Damian Lillards high school has another star,, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Chart: Bay Area rainfall totals for this week, Damian Lillards high school has another star, but it still cant get over the hump, CIF NorCal basketball regionals 2023: Quarterfinal schedules, No. After hosting a rap concert with a HOME OF DAMIAN LILLARD sign in the background at his Oakland High School gym, the Portland Trail Blazers star took a moment to reflect while inspired students listened intently. So when I walked in the locker room, I was like, I dont even want to hold this paper up; I already know people are expecting it. If I was a high school student, I would say, He did that from here. When the tree was taken down by the city when he was in 5th grade, his grandfather nailed milk crates to the telephone pole on Clara Street to form a makeshift hoop. They have been to the playoffs eight times, an excellent mark for Blazer fans. I aint a punk, Lillard responds without missing a beat when asked how his hometown defines him. Those are the moments I struggle with. Williams, who had only played AAU before this season, said I always knew I had the talent, but that playing at the varsity high school level required a new level of discipline. Passing Clyde Drexler: Ive always said I wanted to be the best | Is he the greatest Trail Blazer of all time? Damian Lillard has made at least $193,078,512 playing professional basketball. Ever. |He has it: Behind brilliance of Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers still alive | They know what I do: Damian Lillard wont be deterred by failure or detractors, (Photo of Damian Lillard: Alika Jenner / Getty Images). Many of these one-on-ones devolved into wrestling matches, and Junior wouldnt let the runt win those either. Williams, already taller than Lillard, is adept at slashing through traffic and getting to the rim, often drawing contact in the process. Oakland lost that game 49-45 and Lillard fouled out late. I did the urine test, then they backed that up with the blood draw tonight after the game. Sometimes players like to absorb that contact to finish and the refs call a foul, but sometimes they dont call a foul, so now youve created a tougher shot and it doesnt go in, Watkins said. To tell you the truth, it was just bad luck, bad timing, Watkins explained. This is also the most points attempted by a player in NBA history, and it is also the most points ever attempted by a player in a season. Damian Lillard is not in the Hall of Fame. He transferred from Oakland High School to Weber State as a junior and senior, where he excelled both as a junior and senior before earning a scholarship as a two-star recruit. 2 Oakland upset in NorCal semis, but a young roster headlined by rising star And if the Oakland High students need even more motivation, all they have to do is learn Lillards bootstraps road to the NBA. Following a freshman season in which he led the conference in scoring, he was named Big Sky Freshman of the Year and first-team All-Big Sky. WebDamian Lillard has made at least $193,078,512 playing professional basketball. The Trail Blazers guard isnt scared to drill 30 to 40 footers when the game is on the line, and he often does it with ease. Oakland High wouldnt retire Lillards No. I mean, that boy is fearless. You couldnt leave the locker room with your gym bag until you were leaving the school. As a youth, he learned to shoot in his grandmothers yardin Oakland, Calif., where there was an oak tree. Lillard wanted the respect and recognition, but he had to earn them the hard way. He drew two charges Saturday night on defense but was called for as many on the other end. The only reason that Damian Lillard has never won a scoring title is that he has yet to make a three-point shot. /. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nba | pageType: stories | The Daily Campus is UConn's independent, student-run newspaper. A swath of land carved in the shadows of Oracle Arena where more liquor stores line the trash-strewn streets than schools. Evan Webeck is the San Francisco Giants beat writer for the Bay Area News Group. The Trail Blazers rookie received unanimous rookie of the year honors as a result of his landslide victory in the 2012 season. TaKwain has earned a 3.95 GPA while playing point guard on Lillard has hit that mark twice and bested it once. A harrowing drug test after the game. Lillard played college basketball for the Weber State Wildcats, where he was named the 2012 Big Sky Conference Mens Basketball Player of the Year and earned third-team All-American honors. Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said what stood out to him the most was how efficient Lillard was all night. When we needed a basket, hey Dame, lets go to work. But I think bigger colleges were looking at him like hes too small, and hes not a facilitator. He gives other kids motivation.. I enjoy those moments in a game when Im going after people and Im in attack mode but its the stuff afterward that I struggle with, Lillard said. He thought he had finally made it but his longtime Oakland Rebels AAU coach Raymond Young didnt share the same sense of satisfaction. Education is the key to getting where a lot of them need to get to. 2020-21 NBA Stat Leaders - Damian Lillard Stats, News, Bio | ESPN There were a lot of memories over there. That was actually the first time being tested in my career after a game.. Also, the Rockets (13-47) have the NBAs worst record, and Lillard wanted to make sure the Blazers heads were in the right space. July 15, With that test behind him, Lillard said he couldnt believe it Sunday when he was told after the game he was again being tested this time a blood test. NBA: Whose NBA All-Star Game debut performance promises a future All-Star MVP? Most of his family still lives there, and the large clan will occupy entire rows inside Oracle Arena tonight when the Blazers play the Golden State Warriors. After being selected sixth overall in the 2012 NBA draft, the Trail Blazers selected Lillard in the first round of his NBA career. In addition, with one win, he is one win away from becoming the first player in league history to qualify for the playoffs in each of his six seasons. Ive been blessed to coach a lot of great ones. WebDamian Lillard G #0. Twitter: Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Damian Lillard attended Oakland in Oakland, California and Weber State. He loves Oakland. Steve Dykes. (Cronin) looked around and said, The crowd is crazy in here tonight,' Lillard recalled. Once he told me I could be a Division I player, that was all I needed to hear, Lillard says. Williams final free throw put Oakland ahead 59-56, a minute away from reaching the Division III NorCal finals. Hello and welcome back to the seventh edition of Connors Corner, where I discuss a standout performance in professional sports and that players journey from high school to the professional level. Portland's Damian Lillard commands the court as the Trail Blazers take on the Heat in the first half at the Rose Garden. Because I know how stuff goes. The game began with the Blazers in a tie for 11th place after the Los Angeles Lakers (29-32) won 111-108 at Dallas (32-30). Damian Lillard sits on a bleacher inside the Portland Trail Blazers practice facility and romances about his hometown. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The celebration surrounding Damian Lillard s record-breaking performance was short-lived. Lillards 71 points is only the 13th game in NBA history of 70 points or more and ties for eighth-highest ever. Lillard scored 60 points on Jan. 25 during a victory over Utah. save for a section behind Lillard full of school-age children from a local church Wilt Chamberlain set the NBA record with 100 points. The Pelicans also will be without guard Jose Alvarado (lower leg) and forward Larry Nance Jr. (ankle). Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Trust me, if the ball was in Dames hands then everybody knew. That places him third all time behind Kobe Bryant (five) and Wilt Chamberlain (32). Despite his numerous accomplishments, he has yet to win the scoring title in what has been a fantastic season. But on Sunday, he allowed himself to continue what had become a celebratory tradition when he set a scoring mark taking a picture holding the boxscore of his scoring achievement, with the number of the record in bold, black ink, a nod to Wilt Chamberlains famous photo when he scored 100 points in 1962. He was never highly regarded as a youth, and as a sophomore in high school he was benched. Lillard was a three-time All Im positive that a lot of them had that kind of feeling. According to 247Sports, Lillard was only a three-star recruit out of high school in Oakland, California. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. We have to be unbreakable, Lillard said. Ive been around the league a long, long time and 71 I mean, that was incredible, man.. He still has some things to learn and work on but hes a kid that steps up to the challenge. He made every right play, Billups said. This is a part of the NBA season. Or write about sports? The superstar point guard would have a real path to championship contention After being selected by Portland with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, Lillard was unanim Support OregonLive. His voice rises and flashes hints of anger when he talks about his St. Joe days. He was named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Year twice and led the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament in each of his four years. He worked harder than everybody else, Gamble says. Lillard wears a tattoo of a psalms scripture on his left arm in honor of his Christian faith. OAKLAND In his first action after being eliminated, coach Orlando Watkins walked to midcourt, outstretched his arm, and picked his star player up from the hardwood. And for what I represent, what I put into the game, how I handle myself, how I handle success. When he got antsy, he practiced dribbling with his left hand, or shot alone on the side rims. It has different meaning to everybody.. "We had a great start, a great first half. He says he doesnt like situations where he is the center of attention, because hes unsure of how to handle the adulation. The Blazers play at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Golden State. When he was a member of the basketball team at Weber State University, he was the schools second-highest scorer. Lillard was unfamiliar with the death of Williams and became surprised and solemn once he heard the news. And just around the corner was the gym. It was good for all the students to see how important that part is. On Saturday afternoon, following practice and after he had planted the seed of urgency into his teammates, Lillard spoke to the media while drinking a bottle of water. Despite Lillards quick start, the Blazers led only 32-31 after the first quarter. There is no doubt that Lillard is a deserving recipient of the honor, and his achievements will be remembered for the rest of his life. Young ran child-labor camps, not practices, working his players inside the abandoned gymnasium of an adult school. Before he could celebrate, before he could shower, the NBA presented him with paperwork: He was being drug tested. The two Oakland-born guards arent made in the same mold. However, due to a lack of playing time, he transferred to Oakland High School. M. But I think the big takeaway for me, is the most fun Ive had and the thing I get the most emotional about is the journey. THE DAILY CAMPUS1266 STORRS ROADSTORRS, CT 06269, USA860-486-3407. Oakland taught Lillard hard work. Of course, the place lacked proper instructional tools, so Young pulled out bricks from the ground, covered with insects and dirt, and made the boys hold one in each extended hand while stooped low in a defensive stance. A record-setting tradition continued in the locker room. During his amateur career, he was the second leading scorer in the history of the Wildcats. He won three NBA All-Star titles and two All-NBA Teams during his NBA career. With 15 points and 13 rebounds, Watts secured his second straight double-double, after collecting 18 and 12 in a quarterfinal win. I was like, are you serious? Lillard said. Find out more. New Orleans is playing the sixth contest of a stretch in which seven of eight are on the road. Those are the moments that make you., NBA 75: Damian Lillard went from milk-crate hoops to Dame Time: Im just a believer. But today in East Oakland, theyll tell the stories. 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