- Damian Lillard of Portland Trail Blazers doesn’t see himself playing in the NBA for long
- He says there is much more the league needs to do
- Lillard says he plays for the love of basketball
Damian Lillard of Portland Trail Blazers doesn’t see himself playing in the NBA for long.
The standout player for the Blazers says his reasons are premised NBA’s obsession on simply winning championships only.
Lillard said he plays for the love of basketball adding that his biggest reservation is that winning the championship is the only thing that matters.
“I just don’t know if I can play a long, long time because I don’t enjoy what the NBA as a whole is becoming,” he told J.J. Redick on The Old Man and the Three podcast.
Lillard, a guard for Portland Trail Blazers said there is more to basketball than just winning championships but it doesn’t matter.
“While I understand we play to win championships—we all want to win the championship—we can’t keep acting like nothing matters. Like the rest of this stuff, the journey, doesn’t matter. We can’t keep doing that,” he declared.
Damian Lillard. Photo/Sports Illustrated
The Trail Blazers have been the NBA veteran’s team for his entire 11-year career, but he hasn’t even come close to winning a title. Until the Golden State Warriors swept him, he made one trip to the Western Conference finals in 2019.
Lillard’s clubs only have two playoff series. The guard has been among the greatest in the NBA over the past ten years, despite not having any rings.
This is thanks to seven All-Star selections, six All-NBA awards, and a Rookie of the Year trophy. Averaging 32.1 points and 7.3 assists per game, Lillard is slowly working his career year.
Portland started Tuesday ranked 13th in the West with a 31-37 record. It will be difficult for them to even make the playoffs.
Still, the Portland Trail Blazers guard has done pretty well for his team on a personal level.
Meanwhile, the NCAA Tournament field for 2023 is ready after Sunday’s events which opens the league to a new adrenaline-filled ride.
The NBA season is also in the midst of one of its most thrilling stretches, despite the fact that it will take a backseat for a few weeks. Time is running out for late pushes, and with the standings still so lopsided, each game has an added significance.
Golden states’ Stephen Curry. [Credit/si.com]
They have seen and felt the pressure before, including as amateurs. Before the season ends in June, March brings a lot of significance to them from way back to their college days before NBA drafting.
Horford is a two-time NCAA champion and stands a great chance to add some cream to his NBA successes. He already has five trophies for All-Star.
For Curry, the league is treating him well so far and has no reservations about leaving another mark of success at the NCAA championship. So are all other stars gearing up for the famous ‘month of madness’.
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