It has been a year since Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard became a father. In an interview with Paul Flannary of SB Nation, the All-NBA guard spoke extensively about how fatherhood has changed his perspective on life.

“It’s changed me as a person in that I just don’t carry stuff like I used to. If I have a bad game and on TV they’re like, Dame went 6-for-20 and they lost. I’m just like, you know, whatever. It’s ok, bro. You know what I’m saying?”

Many fans gave Lillard and the Blazers a lot of flack after their dismal 2018 post-season run ended in a sweep against the New Orleans Pelicans. When players do to live up to their standards in the NBA, people tend to make a lot of noise about how these athletes failed to do so.

However, it seems like Dame becoming a father has set his priorities straight and changed how he handles all the outside chatter.

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Surely, despite the saying “Ball is life,” there is a whole lot more to life than just basketball. In a world where these players' every action is under a microscope, and social media is there to judge every single thing they do, Lillard may have found the answer to fend off all the toxic energy that this world may bring.

The 2013 Rookie of the Year is happy to do things his way. Nowadays, players are hell bent on finding their “right situation” and changing sceneries whenever they want to. But Lillard is a unique personality from the rest of the field.

The Blazers are lucky to have a franchise star in Lillard. With everybody seeking constant change, the four-time All-Star appears to be content on going the distance in RIP City for the rest of his career, for better or for worse.