Josh Hart's time with the Portland Trail Blazers did not last long. However, in spite of his brief stint with the team, Hart recently revealed that Damian Lillard remains to be one of the biggest influences on his career to date. Hart, who now plies his trade with the New York Knicks, spent just a year with the Blazers, but this proved to be more than enough time for him to truly appreciate what Dame brings to the table — both on and off the court.
Speaking in a tell-all interview with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report, Hart shed some light on Lillard's situation with the Blazers. In his mind, Hart believes that Dame remains to be one of the most misunderstood stars in the NBA today:
“He's misunderstood because we're in a culture where you gotta win championships, we have to win a ring, you gotta do all that,” Hart said. “… Are you gonna tell me his season or that his career wasn't a success because he don't win a ring? No. He's someone who is extremely loyal. … He really embraced being in Portland, and Portland embraced him. Me being in Portland for only a year, I understand why he's so loyal to that fanbase is amazing. They truly show you love.”
Hart is also well aware of the narrative linking Damian Lillard to a move away from the Blazers. The Knicks stud admitted that he has no way of telling what Dame's plans are for his future, but the one thing Hart is sure of is that whatever Lillard ends up deciding, he will do it his way:
“People just sit there and be like, ‘Oh, he's too loyal. He has to go. He has to win a ring. He has to do all this.' And that's something that's, to me that's just stupid,” Hart said. “I know he wants to win, but he wants to win the right way.
“He loves Portland. I'm not saying that he would never leave Portland. I don't know that. That's up to Dame. I'm not sure how that is but I think he's misunderstood because people see that loyalty and they don't understand it. At the end of the day, he's the only one who has to walk in his shoes. As long as he understands it, and he's happy with it, and he loves it, who are we to say?”
I see no lies here.
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