PORTLAND, OR – OCTOBER 23: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers dunks the ball against the Denver Nuggets on October 23, 2019 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Trailblazers All Star Damian Lillard is honored with a mural in Portland.
The city of Portland now features a mural of one of its beloved athlete’s and it’s about “Dame Time.”
Damian Lillard is a five-time NBA All-Star point guard for the Portland Trailblazers. The 30-year-old was drafted by the Trailblazers sixth overall in the 2012 NBA Draft coming out of Weber State. Since becoming the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2013, Lillard has made a name for himself as a scorer who is dependable in clutch situations. Hence the nickname “Dame Time,” where he points to his wrist to indicate his time to takeover on the basketball court. To honor his legacy, the city of Portland has unveiled a mural for him.
The mural shows his number 0 and his name on the back of his Icon Trailblazers’ jersey. The number is a story in itself. It symbolizes where he was born, as in “O” for Oakland, California, his college career in the city of Ogden, Utah, and the state he presents for the NBA franchise he plays for today in Oregon. Coincidentally, his second middle name starts with an “O” as he is Damian Lamonte Ollie Lillard Sr.
While making a name for himself as arguably the best point guard in the NBA today, he has always made it a point to stay in Portland with his goal to play for the franchise his entire career. For a small market NBA team in today’s landscape, that is very rare for an All Star of his caliber to not even consider playing for a franchise in a big market. That said, he and teammate C.J. McCollum have led the Trailblazers to their best seasons in years.
In 2019, Lillard led the Blazers to their first Western Conference Finals appearance since the 1999-2000 NBA season. Lillard has also made the All-NBA First Team in 2018 and twice made the All-NBA Second Team (2016, 2019). Lillard is already the franchise’s career leader in three-pointers made, he’s second in points scored behind Clyde Drexler and third in career assists, trailing Drexler and the record holder Terry Porter.
Lillard recently scored 61-points in a single game to tie his career high and the franchise record for most points in a single game, this past Tuesday.