Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard committed his future to the franchise this past summer, signing a two-year, $122 million extension that will keep him in RIP City through the 2026-27 season. He's come a long way from being selected in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Weber State, a school not known for its basketball.
Dame recently sat down with Marc Spears of Andscape and reflected back on how it felt to become a millionaire now 10 years ago, revealing that being able to provide for his mom, who went through so many hard times, was one of the best feelings he's ever had through all this stardom:
“I ain’t going to lie. That was one of the best feelings I’ve had. I started telling her going into my last year of college [at mid-major Weber State University] that I was going to get drafted. We would talk on the phone at least every other day. And she’d be telling me how she had been feeling sick,” Damian Lillard said. They were on her about her production. They were basically threatening to fire her. She was stressed out and struggling at work with her health. And I was just constantly telling her things like, ‘The [Boston] Celtics were at practice today. The [Utah] Jazz was at practice today.’ I was just trying to pick up her spirits. We were just connected like that.”
“She would tell me about her issues. She was living in an apartment in San Leandro at the time with my sister. I was just trying to lift her up with my success. ‘I’m entering the draft this year when the school year is over, Damian Lillard continued.”So, just knowing everything that I knew for that whole school year, when I finally got drafted and everything was pretty much set, I came home, and we literally went to her job in San Ramon. We walked in and everybody was aware that I just got drafted. So, they were like, ‘Oh, Gina, your son …’ Blah, blah. I was like, ‘We quit! We quit!”
That's gotta bring tears to your eyes. Damian Lillard isn't only providing for his mother, but his entire family for decades to come. The Blazers guard will reach half a billion in earnings if he fulfills this latest extension.
You truly have to appreciate just how genuine and loyal Dame is. Not only has he not jumped ship and joined another team in search of a title, but he appreciates every single person who helped him get to this point, especially his mother.
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