Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard recently sat down with HotNewHipHop for a wide-ranging interview. During his appearance, Lillard was asked to compare some of the stars of hip hop to those of the NBA. When asked to pick an artist who best reflects his own style, however, the four-time All-Star chose J. Cole.

HotNewHipHop: Who's J. Cole?

Lillard: J. Cole? I think I'm J. Cole, because as an artist, J. Cole is like… at the top. But he doesn't appeal to everybody. I think his style is just genuine, and he's a real solid person. I think that's who I am. Being a solid person and being one of the best in your career (field), but everybody doesn't respect it like they might respect other artists. They might see people as bigger than him, even though he's as quality as it's gonna get as a person in his profession.

Lillard is right about J. Cole, and both have a smooth style in their own rights. And let's not forget that Dame is also a talented rapper. In fact, the former Davidson standout recently released his third full-length album, Big D.O.L.L.A.

The Blazers finished the 2018-19 regular season with a 53-29 overall record, earning a No. 3 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. Unfortunately, though, Portland was swept by the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.