PORTLAND — Damian Lillard is having a career-year on the court with career highs in points a game, assists a game and usage rate.
And while his team is on the doorstep of the Western Conference playoff picture, he’s also having a breakout year off of it.
The music video to his single under the moniker Dame DOLLA “Bigger Than Us,” debuted during TNT’s coverage of the NBA’s Martin Luther King Day Jr. games.
Head coach Terry Stotts’ only gripe about the video wasn’t about the video, but rather that TNT only showed a snipped of Lillard’s video which has a lot of socially charged images.
“I saw it online,” Stotts said. “I was disappointed that TNT only showed an abbreviated version of it. I was really proud of the message that was sent. It was very well done. I had one of those brain worms that it’s in your ear for the rest of the day. I was very impressed.”
Of course, every time that Lillard’s musical endeavors reach new heights, the questions come about whether it’s distracting from his day job.
Stotts doesn’t think that is much of a concern.
“He’s always put basketball first,” Stotts said. “He’s an ultimate pro when it comes to his craft. He competes in practice, he’s on time, he leads the team. Whatever he has going on off the court is a distraction for him.”
Blazers Oregon license plate unveiled
Oregon governor Kate Brown was in attendance at the Moda Center Wednesday night to help unveil the team’s new specialty license plate during the first timeout of Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Blazers are commemorating the passage of Oregon House Bill 2730, which went through the Oregon House of Representatives in the summer of 2015.
Signed into law by Gov. Brown, it’s the first license plate in the state of Oregon to represent a professional sports team.
According to a release from the team, the plate will be available for purchase in late spring.
A part of the proceeds from the plate’s $40 surcharge will go to the Trail Blazers Foundation, which plans to distribute those proceeds through grants to non-profits focused on youth programs.
