Dame is more ready than ever.
PHOTO: NBA.com
This content is taken from an article by Marc J. Spears for Andscape, translated into Italian by Alessandro Di Marzo for Around the Game.
With 2 banners flying over the sports center to witness the 2 NBA titles of the Milwaukee Bucksan inspired Damian Lillard He looked calm and relaxed alongside his cousin, rapper Brookfield Deuce, as he witnessed the chaos of his new team’s media day.
“It’s really different” Lillard confessed to Andscape while wearing his new uniform. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say it, but I don’t feel like I’m in a place that isn’t mine. Throughout my career, I’ve always thought about that in other places [diversi da Portland] I would have felt out of place, but now I don’t.”
On July 1st of this year i Portland Trail Blazers they saw Dame knocking on the door asking for a trade: after 11 years together, the paths of the franchise and its all-time best scorer would separate. Lillard wanted i Miami Heatbut after much back and forth he ended up in Wisconsin, probably in the best possible situation on a strictly basketball level given that he will share the court with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee hasn’t won in 2 years, just welcomed a new coach (Adrian Griffin) and waved goodbye to Jrue Holiday to get to Lillard, who today, at 33, has his best opportunity to win a ring.
With Lillard at their side, the Bucks have the power of a duo at home that they haven’t enjoyed since Oscar Robertson e Kareem Abdul-Jabbarthe two protagonists of the first title in 1971. Antetokounmpo and Lillard still have to get to know each other much better, but the Greek is aware of the potential and expectations at the Bucks:
“Having an opportunity to play with a guy like that is a blessing,” Giannis said. “We are similar, he is also a killer. For many years he was extraordinary, he dominated the league: having a player like that, with whom you can fight hard every day, is fantastic. He’s hungry and he makes me even hungrier, because he surrounds you with greatness and makes you push harder.”
“With him we have a great chance to do something great here. I’m really curious what the future holds for us. But we have to take it one step at a time, we haven’t won anything yet. There will be a lot of hype for us, but we have yet to do anything, not even play a match together. We can talk about it all we want, but actions will speak even louder.”
(Giannis Antetokounmpo)
This interview with Damian Lillard saw him talk about Milwaukee as an alternative to Miami, his great respect for Antetokounmpo, his feelings towards Portland after the farewell, the pressure and his aspirations and much more. Enjoy the reading.
PHOTO: NBA.com
Have you already had a chance to take a deep breath and reflect on the trade and the changes that occurred?
“Yes, the day I arrived mine. They welcomed me and introduced me to many people. Then we recorded some videos, I did some physical tests, and finally, I sat alone and thought about everything that had just changed. I understood that this will be my place and that it had to be this way. I realized everything in that moment.”
Oakland High. People didn’t know you and you had to fight to show off. Weber State, same thing. Even the same could be said with the Blazers. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, for the first time in your life you arrive in a title team, right away. How does it feel?
“It’s different, a different experience. But I always did what was necessary to perform at my best. Being in an environment where winning at a high level is truly possible can make the final result even better. But I will always behave the same way, without thinking that I am actually in a better team and that we are not underdogs. My behavior and mentality will remain unchanged. Everything can only get better.”
Do you think about what the team sacrificed to have you? What does all this mean for you?
“They have shown that they believe in me and what I can add to the team. They also sold Jrue Holiday, a player I respect a lot and with whom they won in 2021. Then they lost, but it happens. I don’t think the cause of his farewell was his last elimination in the first round. They probably thought that I was more complementary to players like Giannis, Khris Middleton or Brook Lopez. They want to re-establish themselves as a winning team and I, for the first time, can be part of that. Giannis and I are extremely complementary in our way of playing, that’s why we are here together today.”
There are a lot of superstars in the NBA, but you keep saying the one you really wanted to play with is Giannis. Why?
“When I hear him speak and see how he behaves, I understand that we speak the same language. We’re going in the same direction, and coexisting with him is great. I think he’s the person I would get along best with.”
Let’s talk about your years in Portland and what you accomplished on and off the court. What do you think of the painful way it all ended?
“Looking back, I always think about what made it all so painful. It’s not so much about the game winners and the results on the pitch, but more about the people my journey has had to deal with. Many of my best friends live there, along with half of my family. And then all the initiatives in the community, the people who supported everything, the relationships and connections so strong… it was hard to walk away from all of that. I’m proud of what I’ve experienced in Portland, I’ll continue to have a presence there.
As far as basketball is concerned, I have had a lot of satisfaction from this point of view too. We have struggled in the last 2 years, and the more time passes, the more the desire to win increases. And the organization and I were going in two different directions. The love is mutual, I love the Blazers and I think they love me too, but we still know it’s business, and I wanted a chance to win. Now I have it. I will never stop loving Portland and the fans, they mean home to me. But now it’s time to look forward.”
Maybe you didn’t like the ending, but you don’t seem to feel any bitterness.
“No not at all. It works like this, the NBA business is going in this direction. There is nothing personal with anyone in the Blazers organization.”
With nobody? Really?
“Really. I really loved everyone, I always said what my goals are. I wanted something to move, and when you see that a certain reality is too tight for you, things change. But no, there’s nothing personal. Now I’m happy to be here, we’ll move forward.”
PHOTO: NBA.com
When did you start thinking about Milwaukee?
“A couple of weeks ago, approximately. Of course I didn’t know what was really going to happen. I said I wanted to play in Miami, I saw it as a great situation for me; my agent Aaron Goodwin told me Milwaukee would be an even better choice. I told him about my love for Giannis and that I thought it was a great opportunity, then I left it to him. I wasn’t sure it would really happen, but it really happened that way.”
Giannis said you spent some time with him and his family at the Bucks training facility last Sunday.
“I went to train and he was there too. Everyone told me that the organization was like a family here, and that’s actually the case. I was working, but it didn’t seem like it: there were children running around the field, everything was very quiet. It was nice to see them like that.”
What does this tell you about him and his reputation as a “family guy”, like you?
“I also like having my children always close by, especially given their age. I want them to witness how I live and how we live our lives, to understand why and what it means to work hard. Seeing how he interacted with his family made me realize that we share this point of view.”
50 years ago, in Milwaukee, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson won together. Now, a new duo that could do the same.
“I don’t know… we’re talking about an elite company. Definitely elitist. We can be a really special duo, and the kind of people we are can make everything more achievable. But I don’t get into conversations with people like Oscar and Kareem. What they have done for the game is special, they are two of the greatest ever. Let’s take it one step at a time. I know who I am, I know what I’m adding, and we all know who Giannis is. Now let’s put it all together and make sure we don’t take too long a leap.”
A month ago, you told me that you are thirsty for victory more than ever. You are now in a franchise with 2 titles. Has your thirst increased further?
“Yes, I look at the banners and I want another one to be hung where I am part of it. This is my goal.”
Can you imagine what it would feel like to win an NBA title?
“It’s hard to think about it if you’ve never done it. But it’s like when I entered the NBA, many said I would never make it, but I always believed it.”
What was the hardest day of these two months and how did your faith and your friends help you?
“My friends and I share everything, every situation, every kind of trip, whatever. One of my best friends involved me in a spiritual group, we met and studied the Bible. But all this long before the trade period.
I feel like it helped guide me through the situation I found myself in, I found peace in the summer chaos. The hardest period was when I really started to think that my children would live in another environment, different from the one in which they were born and raised.
My mother sometimes called me on Sundays, “Hey, let’s eat at my place tonight”: there were us and all my relatives, with 16 children together having fun. Now it’s as if I had taken them away from their environment to pursue my own goals. It was hard.”
PHOTO: NBA.com
When you look back, do you find anything you wish you had experienced differently in Portland?
“I don’t think there is anything in this sense, other than better communication, to avoid the misunderstandings that have occurred. I felt very little understood, but now I’m happy to have ended up in a context where I feel comfortable. We have a great opportunity to win and I play with great players on a deep roster, in another small market where there is a lot of family value.
It is a humble, relaxing environment. There are also several people I’ve worked with before, familiar faces, including Robin Lopez and Pat Connaughton. I feel like I’m in the right place.”
You’ve been in the Western Conference your entire career, now you’re going to a very competitive East.
“The reputation of the East is a little less beautiful than that of the West, perhaps because it is considered less fun. But I know it will be tougher here, it’s not the same type of basketball. And then, the West Coast is my home. Now I will face more cold cities, different conditions. I will see faces that I was used to seeing much less.”
2023-10-07 02:15:51
#great #interview #Damian #Lillard
