Damian Lillard was born in Oakland, California, on July 15, 1990. When he was younger, he played reasonably well at his California school. Twenty points were scored on average in each of his games of basketball. He received three offers from other colleges. Because Utah had a superior basketball program, he decided to move there. He was also a football sensation in college. He received the 2011 Player of the Year award. Throughout his collegiate football career, Damian Lillard averaged 30 points per game.
He finished his sophomore high school at the prestigious “St. Joseph Notre Dame High School” in Alameda, California, which also produced the legendary “NBA” player Jason Kidd. To obtain more playing time during his final two years of high school, Lillard transferred to “Oakland High School.” He received coaching from Orlando Watkins there, where he furthered his game. He was a member of the “Oakland Rebels,” the top Amateur Athletic Union basketball team in Oakland, where he scored 22.4 points per game. He developed his basketball skills while playing for the Oakland Rebels, which included dagger step-back jump jumpers and reverse backspin layups.
Damian Lillard was born to Gina and Houston Lillard.
Siblings
He has two siblings. LaNae is his sister, and Houston is his brother. Houston plays quarterback for the “Indoor Football League.”
Children
He’s got three kids. Damian Jr., a son, was born to Lillard and Hanson in 2018. Just a few months before their wedding in 2021, their twins Kalii and Kali were born.
Wife
He married Kay’la Hanson, a medical student at Weber State University and his college sweetheart.
Lifestyle
At the end of high school, he was rated as a two-star prospect by ‘Rivals.com’ for college recruitment based on sports. He was offered a scholarship to play for “Weber State University” in Ogden, Utah. He graduated from the university in 2015 with a degree in professional sales. In college, his performance increased, and he helped the Weber State Wildcats win the league regular-season title. It is regarded as a tremendous honour that his performance earned him the “Big Sky Player of the Year” award and a mention by the “Associated Press.” When he graduated, he held the fifth-highest scoring position in “Big Sky” history.
He had a successful basketball season despite a foot injury that required him to “redshirt” for some time. He quickly won his second “Big Sky Player of the Year Award” (2010–2011). He elected to forego his senior year to enter the 2012 “NBA” draft, becoming the second-highest scorer in Weber State history.
In 2012, he began playing professionally with the Portland Trail Blazers. He became the third “NBA” player to score 20 points and 10 assists in his first game against the “Los Angeles Lakers” in his debut. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award with a season-high 19-point scoring average, seven career-high 3-pointers against the “Golden State Warriors,” and 82 games played. He also first placed in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge at the NBA All-Star Weekend.
During his second season, he set a new record for the most points scored by any player in a single quarter when he scored a career-high 41 points against the “Sacramento Kings” with 26 points in the fourth quarter. By the end of the season, he was named to the “All-NBA Third Team,” which was seen as a fantastic accomplishment in just two seasons. Despite having a poor third-season average, he set a record for the most three-pointers made in a player’s first three seasons. With a new career best of 43 points against the “San Antonio Spurs,” he also exceeded his highest point total. He became famous after filling in for an injured Blake Griffin in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game.
He agreed to a five-year, US$ 120 million contract with the Trail Blazers in 2015. In 247 games, he amassed 600 three-pointers, making him the ‘NBA’ player who did it the fastest. He also made history as the ‘Trail Blazer’ with the shortest time to 15,000 assists and 5000 points (248 games). After playing in 275 straight games, Lillard was forced to take a sabbatical due to a left foot injury. After missing six games, he made his 2,000th field goal in NBA history against the “Washington Wizards” upon his return. He then set a new “NBA” record by scoring 51 points against the “Golden State Warriors,” another career high.
He made history by becoming the first “NBA” player to score more than 27 points in each of his team’s opening five contests of the 2016–2017 campaign. He scored the most points of any ‘Trail Blazer’ to start a season with 163 in his first five games. He missed the first five games of the season because of an ankle injury, but he returned to become the 11th player in his team’s history to reach 8000 points in a career, sharing that distinction with LeBron James and Michael Jordan. He scored 49 points with nine three-pointers in April 2017 to earn the “Western Conference Player of the Month.” He became the ‘Blazer’ who scored 10,000 points, the fastest in franchise history, and was the player to reach that milestone the fastest (9000 points) in the fastest time ever. He was involved in a three-team trade and is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.
A passionate rapper and hip-hop artist, in addition to being a star basketball player, he also has a social media account called “4-Bar Friday,” where anyone may post a video of themselves rapping on “Instagram” every Friday. Dame DOLLA, his stage moniker, stands for “Different on Levels the Lord Allows.” His first song, “Soldier in the Game,” was available for online streaming in 2015. His debut album, “The Letter O,” was released in 2016. He released his second album, “Confirmed,” in 2017.
He has a brand of neon-blue midsole, glow-in-the-dark, signature shoes called “Adidas Dame.” Lillard frequently wears the “Adidas Dame,” one of the most attractive skating sneakers, when skating with his Portland supporters.
Net Worth
He is believed to have an outstanding net worth estimated at $115 million.
Cars
The NBA player has been spotted in several high-end vehicles. His car collection includes the Cadillac Escalade, Bentley Bentayga, Bentley Continental GT, etc.
House
The rapper and sports great has built a new home near Tualatin. He and his extended family have been residing on a five-acre gated estate in West Linn with views of the Willamette River since 2017. He also owns property in other American cities, including Portland, Oregon.
Stats
Throughout his amateur career, he was the second-leading scorer in “Wildcats” history and the fifth-leading scorer in “Big Sky” history. He received two “Big Sky Conference Player of the Year” awards—one each in 2010 and 2012—after being named “Big Sky Freshman of the Year” in 2009. He also made three “All-Big Sky First Teams” and two “Big Sky All-Tournament Teams” throughout his amateur career. Lillard owns the record for the player to reach 10,000 points in the NBA, the fastest while suffering many injuries.
He received the 2013 “NBA Rookie of the Year” award for his debut campaign. In addition, he was named to two All-NBA Teams and three NBA All-Star teams. He twice won the NBA Skills Challenge, and in 2012, he was selected for the NABC All-American Third Team. For combining excellence on the court with collaboration and decency when speaking with the press and the public, he received the “Magic Johnson Award” in 2017. He is known as “Dame Time” for his history of making crucial shots, and he is the only player in Trail Blazers franchise history to have been selected to seven NBA All-Star teams and seven NBA All-NBA teams. Lillard was honoured by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in October 2021, making him one of the greatest players in league history.
He was the first NBA player to compete in each of the five ‘All-Star Game’ competitions, which included the ‘Slam Dunk Contest,’ ‘Skills Contest,’ ‘Three-Point Contest,’ ‘Rising Stars Challenge,’ and ‘All-Star Game. He also won a gold medal while competing for the United States in Tokyo in 2020.
Contract
He was among the top prospects in 2011. He participated in the 2012 NBA Draft. That indicates that he turned pro in 2012. He was signed on a rookie contract by the Portland Trail Blazers. He remained a Portland Trail Blazer for two years before re-signing with them in 2014 on a bigger deal. He was given an eight-year, $100,000,000 contract.
Lillard was acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks on September 27, 2023, as part of a three-team deal that also involved the trade of the Phoenix Suns for Grayson Allen, Jusuf Nurki, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson, as well as Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, and a 2029 first-round draft pick for the Portland Trail Blazers. Additionally, the Blazers were allowed to trade first-round picks with Milwaukee in the 2028 and 2030 drafts.
He is represented by Aaron Goodwin and has endorsement relationships with Panini, Hulu, Adidas, etc. His current deal is slated to expire after the 2024–25 campaign. Lillard’s jersey number, 0. stands for the letter “O” and his life’s journey from Oakland through Ogden to Oregon.
