There's no denying that Damian Lillard is special. With all the noise he has been making in the bubble recently, the spotlight is on him once again. However, there's more to Dame than the 50-point outbursts, logo three-pointers, and aloof personality. In fact, there are some pretty peculiar things about him that no one knows about. Here, we take a look at five things we're betting that you didn't know about him, provided that you're not some sort of superfan who has been following him all his life.
1. He's Scared Of Historic Statues
We're all scared of something, right? For Lillard, it's apparently historic status. Believe it or not, Lillard's fear of statues dates back to when we were still little. This fear started when he visited a wax museum early on and he felt that the figures were too realistic wherein he even left the vicinity right away. Ever since then, the fear has stayed and he carries it up until this day.
2. Number “0” To Represent Journey In Life
Jersey numbers are usually a representation of something important to a player. For Lillard, “0” represents his journey in life. Particularly, it describes his journey in life from Oakland, his hometown, to Ogden, the university where he studied, and now over to Oregon, where he plays for the Trail Blazers. He claims that this acts as a motivator to himself and to others which is why he wants to be constantly reminded of the journey by wearing it as his jersey number.
3. He Wears A Size 16 In Shoes
Yes, the 6'2, 195-pound guard actually wears a size 16 for his kicks. To put it into perspective, the average NBA player's shoe size is only 13, which also takes into consideration the big men in the league who have pretty big feet. Therefore, it's shocking to discover that Lillard, who isn't massive by any means, wears a size 16 on his feet. It honestly looks so disproportional given that he has all the features of a normal guy, only to find out that he has feet that are massive enough to be mistaken for a center or power forward's shoe.
4. Met CJ McCollum Through Twitter Prior To Becoming Teammates
Everyone in their life should have a good social media story to tell. Whether it's finding your soulmate, discovering a group of friends, getting hacked, a good fight in the comment section, having a crazy experience, or whatever it is, a good chunk of people should have had a noteworthy experience using social media given how much it has taken over our lives for the past few years. Damian Lillard is no exception to this as he actually found his running mate, CJ McCollum, over Twitter. They don't share history from any high school match-up or college duels, but the two literally became acquaintances over Twitter wherein that's where they first interacted with one another. Just one year after the front office drafted Lillard in the first round, they got McCollum next. Since then, they've developed a close bond on and off the court in Portland.
5. Releases Music Under The Name, Dame D.O.L.L.A.
If you've been living under a rock and you still don't know that Lillard is a rapper, then here's your newsflash. Lillard is a hardcore fan of hip-hop like many other colleagues. However, he went a step further as he has composed his own songs. As much as how basketball is vital to him, Lillard has a respectable career in the rap industry. Here, he goes by the name Dame D.O.L.L.A. which is an acronym for “Different on Levels the Lord Allows”. He has released three albums throughout his career so far, with special guests including Lil Wayne, Mozzy, and Jeremih. Mainly, he raps about race equality in his songs. What was once just a hobby with his friend, has actually become a second career for him.
Honorable mention: Graduated With A Degree In Sales
This is the icing on the cake. Even though we all know that Lillard is making bank in the NBA with a fat contract from the Trail Blazers, he's pretty much set for life when the inevitable time comes that he has to hang up the kicks. As he graduated with a degree in sales in Weber State University five years ago, this made him one of the few players in the league to have a college degree. In fact, his mother always wanted him to study more and spend less time in basketball. Nevertheless, his expertise in sales will bode well for him as an athlete in understanding the financial aspect of the sport, and in any other venture he may choose to take later on in life.
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