Damian Lillard Biography Facts, Childhood And Personal Life

Damian Lillard of Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard in action for Portland Trail Blazers. (Image: Stadium Astro)

Damian Lillard, an American professional basketball player is one of the plethoras of young talents in the NBA, eager to set an indelible imprint in the game. While no doubt many players work hard to reach the very peak of the game, some work even harder. Damian is one of such players who have established a reputation for his outstanding intellect, amazing wit and exceptional style of play. In our Damian Lillard biography facts, childhood and personal life, we give you insightful and in-depth details into the life of this young fellow, as well as his journey to NBA stardom.

Damian Lillard Biography Facts

Full Name:Damian Lamonte Ollie Lillard Sr.
Nickname:Dame D.O.L.L.A; Dame; Dame time; The Game Dame; Logo Lillard
Born:July 15, 1990 (age 29)
Place of Birth:Oakland, California
Nationality:American
Occupation:Basketball Player
Current Team:Portland Trail Blazers
Position:Point guard
Playing Career:2012–present
Net Worth:$30 million
Height:6 feet, 3 inches
Shoe Size:16
Weight:195 lb (88 kg)
Education:Oakland High School; St. Joseph Notre Dame High School; Weber State University
Parents:Houston Lillard Sr. (father); Gina Johnson (mother)
Siblings:Houston Lillard (brother); Lanae Lillard (sister)
Partner:Kay’La Hanson (girlfriend)
Children:Damian Jr. (son)
Zodiac Sign:Cancer

Damian Lillard Childhood and Early Life

Lillard was born in Oakland and he also grew up in East Oakland. His love for basketball festered in his birth town of Oakland.

While growing, Lillard wasn’t the best basketball player in his hood. He was often on the bench applauding his fellow teammates. But it all changed when Oakland Rebels coach Raymond young told him despite his potential Lillard wasn’t going to play for him because he didn’t practice hard and play hard. That counsel from his coach proved to be a motivation for young Lillard who worked tirelessly to move up the ranks. That required him to make sacrifices as well as discipline himself such as working out while his peers attended parties on Friday nights.

Damian Lillard Basketball Career

High School Career

Lillard moved to several high schools so as to earn playing time, but still, he didn’t earn much playing time. At the end of high school, Lillard was featured as a two-star prospective player by Rivals.com.

College Career

Damian Lillard in action for Weber State
Damian Lillard playing for Weber State in 2011. His No. 1 jersey has been since retired by Weber State. (Image: Weber State University Athletics)

Lillard went on to play for Weber State after he was offered a scholarship. Lillard improved in his game during his freshman year at Weber State. He earned Big Sky Conference Freshman of the year and also first-team All-Big Sky honours. He was also named Big-Sky Player of the Year as well as receiving an honourable mention in Associated Press All-American. In the 2010/11 season, Lillard was top on the scoreboard but ended the season at second place. He also received a second Big Sky Player of the Year honour, while also being enlisted as a finalist for the Bob Cousy award. Lillard ended his college career in style as he was the 2nd top scorer in Weber State history and the 5th top score in the history of Big Sky. Lillard forgoes his senior year at Weber state after he enlisted in the 2012 NBA draft. His number 1 jersey has been retired by Weber State.

Professional Career

Portland Trail Blazers (2012–present)

At the 2012 NBA draft, Lillard was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers as its sixth (6th) overall pick. In his NBA debut, Lillard registered 23 points, 11 assists, joining the likes of Allen Iverson and Oscar Robertson to record nothing less than 20 points and 10 assists in an NBA debut. He also set the record for being the Rookie with the most assists in an NBA debut since Jason Kidd in 1994. At the 2012 All-Star NBA weekend, Lillard became the very first Portland Trail Blazer winner of an event at the All-Star Weekend, after he won the Skills Challenge. Lillard continued in good form earning Western Conference Rookie of the Month honours as well as NBA Rookie of the Month. At the end of the season, Lillard was awarded the NBA Rookie of the Month award.

In the 2013/14 season, Lillard good form made him make history as the first NBA player to participate in 5 events; namely Skills Challenge, Rising Star Challenge, Three-Point Contest, Slam Dunk Contest, and the All-Star Game at the NBA All-Star Weekend. The end of the season saw Lillard named to the All-NBA third team.

In the 2014/15 season, Lillard featured in the starting squad of the Portland land Blazers, for the third consecutive season. He reached a career high in his shoots, rebound and steals averages but had a career low in his three-point range average. He participated in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game as a replacement to Blake Griffin who suffered an injury. In July 2015, Lillard signed a 5-year contract extension with the Portland Trail Blazers worth $120 million. He became the fastest NBA player to reach the 600th goal hallmark after scoring 21 points and 11assits in a season opener against the New Orleans Pelican. The game was Lillard’s 247th game. His assist in that match made him the fastest Portland Trail Blazer player to register 1500 career assists. Lillard continued in amazing form for the rest of the season.

The 2016/17 season also saw Lillard continue in an impressive form. He was the recipient of the Magic Johnson Award for his exceptional play in the courts and cooperative dealings with the media and public. In October 2017, Lillard became the fastest Portland Trail Blazer to register 9,000 points in a game against the Pheonix Suns. He continued with his amazing performance which saw him earn Western Conference Player of the Week. He became the fastest Blazer player to register 10,000 points on February 2, 2018, in a game against the Toronto Raptors, becoming the eighth NBA player to register 10,000 points and 2,500 assists in his first 6 seasons. At the end of the season, he was named to the All-NBA First Team.

Demain Lillard in action for Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard of Portland Trail Blazers drives past Lebron James of Cleveland Cavaliers to the basket during an NBA Basketball game—March 15, 2018. (Image: Steve Dykes / Associated Press)

In the 2018/19 season, Lillard became the fastest Blazer to register 12,000 points in a game against the Sacramento Kings. He was also named Western Conference Player of the Week in March. Lillard led the Blazers to the Western Conference finals where his ribs separated in Game 2 but continued to play despite the pain.

Damian Lillard Personal Life

  • Lillard is a Christian and has the scriptures of Psalms 37:1-3 tattooed on his left arm.
  • His jersey number ‘0’ stands for ‘O’ which points to his struggle to basketball stardom from his birth town of Oakland.
  • In May 2015, Lillard finished his degree in Professional Sales from Weber State University.
  • Lillard has a child with girlfriend Kay’La Hanson named Damian Jr. in 2018.
  • His brother Houston plays as a quarterback in a football league.
  • Lillard has signature footwear with Adidas dubbed the “Adidas Dame”.
  • He has endorsements deals with several companies which include; Hulu, Foot Locker, Spalding, Moda Health and others.
  • Dame D.O.L.L.A is a rapper and hip-hop artist. He has released two full-length studio albums, Confirmed (2017) and The Letter O (2016). Check out Damian Lillard0 on SoundCloud for some free listening.

Damian Lillard Highlights, Achievements and Awards

  1. NBA All-Star (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019)
  2. All-NBA First Team (2018)
  3. All-NBA Second Team (2016, 2019)
  4. All-NBA Third Team (2014)
  5. NBA Rookie of the Year (2013)
  6. NBA All-Rookie First Team (2013)
  7. Third-team All-American – AP, NABC (2012)
  8. Big Sky Player of the Year (2010, 2012)
  9. No. 1 retired by Weber State

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