"They don't think about Michael Jordan” – Damian Lillard takes shot at changing culture of NBA and narratives around him
Damian Lillard is the last of a dying breed. He is one of the few active NBA players who has spent ten years with a single team. Lillard has repeatedly shot down rumors about leaving the Portland Trail Blazers.
Although his name continues to pop up in trade discussions, he remains uninterested in leaving the only team he's ever known. He doesn't believe that switching teams in order to win a championship is the right move.
During a recent episode of JJ Redick's 'Old Man & The Three' podcast, the reigning three-point champion spoke about his legacy.
Lillard believes that fans have a short memory. Naturally, retired players quickly fade into obscurity.
"When my career is over, y'all are not about to be talking about me. Y'all are about to be talking about Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, whoever when I'm done playing. They'll talk about me when they say 'who had the most 40 or 50 point games or Portland or whatever.'
"But like why am I going to be sitting here overly concerned with everything that every person has to say about me when they don't know my life. They don't think about me when they get off of that camera, when I'm done playing they won't think about me.
"They don't think about you. They don't think about Michael Jordan!"
Below you can see footage from the episode. Lillard's comments about his legacy begin at the 4:45 mark.
“I don’t enjoy what the NBA as a whole is becoming”
- Damian Lillard
(Via @OldManAndThree )
https://t.co/oPRxEXhY3I
Damian Lillard compares the NBA he grew up watching to the modern NBA
According to Damian Lillard, today's NBA is different from the league he grew up watching. There is more of an emphasis on player empowerment and winning championships. Players often maneuver behind the scenes to recruit big-name stars.
Lillard believes the journey is just as important as the end result.
"The NBA I play in now is not the NBA that I came into. And I expect it to evolve, everything is constantly changing. ... I understand we play to win championships, we all want to win a championship. We can't keep acting like nothing matters, like the rest of the stuff the journey doesn't matter, we can't keep doing that.
"There are so many ways that the league is different. There is so many ways and I think about it all the time where I'm like, man I just don't know if I can just play a long long time because I don't enjoy what the NBA as a whole is becoming."
The Portland Trail Blazers are currently 13th in the Western Conference with a 31-37 record. If they want to make a run at the playoffs, they are going to need Damian Lillard to be at his best.