Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder. (Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports)
Damian Lillard owns the Oklahoma City Thunder with his incredibly petty new Adidas shoes.
When Damian Lillard dropped 50 points and eliminated the Oklahoma City Thunder from the playoffs by way of an incredible 3-pointer, we had no idea less than two years later the Portland Trail Blazers star point guard would have a shoe to commemorate the monumental occasion.
Adidas released a new shoe in collaboration with Lillard. It prominently features the blue and orange of the Thunder’s color scheme. To make it even more ruthless, the inner sole features Lillard’s Game 5 stat line of 50 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Portland won the game 118-115, giving us one of the greatest GIFs by Lillard in the process. If you know, you know.
No love is lost between the Thunder and the Trail Blazers these days.
Though the rivalry between these two franchises was more prominent when the Thunder were the Seattle SuperSonics, these two teams have remained vibrant parts of the NBA‘s Northwest Division. While the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz naturally have a Rocky Mountain rivalry, Oklahoma City and Portland maintain a decent one in their own right. It typically sides on petty.
Keep in mind this was a shot that former Thunder wing Paul George said was a bad shot. Too bad elite players like Lillard are incredible bad-shot makers. Having to play the Trail Blazers on the road at the Moda Center down three games to one is not a way any team should go about advancing in the postseason. While this moment feels like a lifetime ago, it has had a long-lasting impact.
Here is to Lillard creating another over-the-top petty shoe in conjunction with Adidas here soon.