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Damian Lillard is certainly one of the most respected players in the league because of his loyalty. For instance, three offseasons ago, when LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews left the Blazers in free agency and both Nicolas Batum and Robin Lopez were traded away, Lillard could have also left a team with none of their starters back next season. What did Lillard do? He agreed to a long-term contract with the Blazers and was ready to start a rebuild. That rebuild did not happen formally, as C.J. McCollum blossomed into All-Star form and the team later acquired Jusuf Nurkic, forming a solid trio.
Last night, Lillard responded to a fan who asked if Lillard would go to Cleveland:
“The truth is I don’t run from tough situations. In this business organizations “move on” from players more often than players do it.”
After this response, a Twitter user responded by asking: “Even with the way the Celtics organization treated IT, your view on loyalty to organizations hasn't changed?” Lillard did not hesitate to answer back:
“I just said organizations move on from players more than players do it. I’m not tryna control that. I can only be me bra bra”
Lillard implied that, in part, lack of player loyalty is because of organizations are sometimes not loyal either. He cannot control what organizations do with players, but he clears the air by saying he will surely stick to his loyal ways for years to come.
Players like Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan are other examples of players sticking through hard times. And while this is hard to find in today's NBA, Lillard aspires to become a franchise legend as Nowitzki and Duncan did when his career is done.
