Damian Lillard, star point guard of the Portland Trail Blazers, is a great example of what hard work can do, because it has paid off for him big-time. He hasn't been voted in as an All-Star starter yet, but the more he plays, the more honors he's receiving.

Endorsements have already started to come as Lillard has managed to work his way into his own signature shoe line with Adidas, and he has joined Chris and Cliff Paul in a few State Farm commercials.

It wouldn't be as sweet without a few obstacles, though. Lillard failed to get voted into the NBA All-Star game this year, and his team was written off as a rebuilding project after four of their five starters departed the team. Despite the their overall inexperience, Lillard led the Blazers to the fifth seed in a deep Western Conference.

Then, they actually advanced to the Conference Semifinals before succumbing to the Warriors. The Blazers were a tough out for Golden State though, and this gave Lillard more exposure and experience in what was an incredible and unexpected season.

Damian Lillard
USA TODAY Sports

When the All-NBA teams were released on Thursday, Lillard's name was found on the All-NBA second team. ESPN's Marc Stein announced that this officially qualifies him for the ‘Rose Rule‘, which allows Dame a bonus of up to 30% of the teams salary. In short, Lillard will earn an extra year to his contract worth upwards of $20 million.

This is in contrast to one of his counterparts, Anthony Davis, who failed to qualify for the Rose Rule.

Lillard is the highest paid Blazers player in the franchise's history, and he's signed with Portland through the 2020-2021 season.

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