Subscribe
Follow Us
Fans erupted at once when the Milwaukee Bucks pulled off a trade for Damian Lillard, pairing him with Giannis Antetokounmpo to form a duo that would have opposing teams scrambling for answers on the defensive end of the floor. Not only did their games have natural synergy to them, with Antetokounmpo doing his damage from inside the arc, particularly in the paint and Lillard stretching defenses past its breaking point beyond the arc, their nicknames also did. In the end, the duo earned the moniker: “Freak Time”, combining Antetokounmpo's Greek Freak with Lillard's “Dame Time”.
However, it seems as though Lillard is not a fan at all of this “Freak Time” nickname. Speaking with Chris Haynes and Marc Stein on #ThisLeague UNCUT podcast, the new Bucks star expressed his true feelings regarding that moniker.
“I'm not invested in that at all. Everybody's doing all this talking, I'm just trying to play. I leave that to everybody else,” Lillard said.
How does Dame Lillard feel about the new "Freak Time" nickname for he and Giannis? @ChrisBHaynes & @TheSteinLine give him a call to ask! Plus all the latest on #thisleague UNCUT podcast.
FULL EPISODE: https://t.co/2nxnZNhH5L pic.twitter.com/09L0ttzulv
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) October 19, 2023
Damian Lillard may not have said outright that he dislikes the nickname, but the intonation with which he delivered that response says a lot about what he feels about the nickname fans gave his pairing with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Even the Bucks' official social media accounts have leaned into the “Freak Time” nickname, using it on their official Instagram account when they unveiled Antetokounmpo's picture with Lillard during media day, so it may be for the best if their marketing team consults the players themselves about their opinion on this matter.
Nevertheless, Lillard's focus on figuring out the on-court stuff is understandable; after all, he did spend around 11 years of his life with the Portland Trail Blazers, so he has to acclimate to a new environment in the span of a few months. This is a big change regardless of the person involved.
Whatever the case may be, it seems like the “Freak Time” moniker is here to stay; it's easy to recall for fans and it gives the two players equal weight in the nickname (and it keeps their unique identity as well). And from the Bucks' perspective, it's not too difficult to envision the team drowning in merchandise sales from “Freak Time” shirts.
