Lillard wanted the respect and recognition, but he had to earn them the hard way. Young invited the entire team into his Doubletree hotel room for a final meeting. He was selected No. The most rudimentary materials produced one of the games most prolific and picturesque shooters. Moneys one of the good ones, Watkins said. With that test behind him, Lillard said he couldnt believe it Sunday when he was told after the game he was again being tested this time a blood test. Stephen Curry's career high is 62, short of Lillard,'s 71, and his 11 50-point games also trail Lillard's total, as do Kevin Durant's nine. Thats the little kid that I used to put out of the gym and used to steal my basketballs.. In middle school, he got online to discover what all his teammates were talking about: an Oakland kid had made a national list of ranked players. And when they trapped him, he made the right passes. After being selected by Portland with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, Lillard was unanim Lillard was small, no match on the block against his bulky brother Houston, Jr. Evan Webeck is the San Francisco Giants beat writer for the Bay Area News Group. His injury is a blow to the Trail Blazers, who are desperate for a win in order to qualify for the playoffs. While the Warriors play just two miles away, NBA success stories do not walk the city blocks of Brookfield. I know a lot of kids walked out of it like, Thats crazy.. Oklahoma City (28-32) lost 124-115 at Sacramento (35-25). So when you think Lillard might be gassed as one of the top 10 league leaders in minutes played (38.1 per game), just know that as a fifth-grader he played basketball for as long as some of us work a 9-to-5 shift. "We're a young team, and we're going through a lot of injuries," McCollum told reporters. Damian Lillards high school has another star,, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Chart: Bay Area rainfall totals for this week, Damian Lillards high school has another star, but it still cant get over the hump, CIF NorCal basketball regionals 2023: Quarterfinal schedules, No. But he became eligible after he earned a professional sales degree from the College of Applied Science and Technology in May 2015. That was a thing that was important to the basketball program here, Lillard said. The Pelicans have lost four straight games and stand a half-game ahead of Portland for the final Western Conference play-in berth. The Pelicans also will be without guard Jose Alvarado (lower leg) and forward Larry Nance Jr. (ankle). Damian Lamonte Ollie Lillard Sr. (born July 15, 1990 ) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). One game after the most prolific scoring output of his stellar career, Damian Lillard recorded his lowest point total in a game in more than five weeks. As a junior at Oakland, he averaged 19.4 points per game. #RipCity pic.twitter.com/BaYNtlqSMK, Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) February 27, 2023. When its happening in a game, I embrace it. The contest was the second of a back-to-back for the Trail In fact, he played his high school ball at a school in his hometown of Oakland, California that many people have never heard of: Oakland High School. He worked into the Arroyo High varsity starting lineup as a 5-foot-5 freshman, but once it became clear his coach would not return, Lillard searched for a new school. Considering he gave a urine sample on Saturday, he said he was stunned after the game when he was directed into the training room for a blood draw. I couldnt wait to get here.. The Blazers shot 54.5% from the field while hitting on 20 of 39 threes (51.3%). So when I walked in the locker room, I was like, I dont even want to hold this paper up; I already know people are expecting it. Weve been here before. Education is the key to getting where a lot of them need to get to. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Or write about sports? The Blazers (29-31) moved into sole possession of 11th place in the Western Conference with the victory over the Rockets (13-47). When a team presents that type of defense, accept it and embrace it and depend on teammates to take them out of that coverage, Lillard said. Join our linker program. Follow Jason on Twitter @jwquick, Lillard planted seeds throughout the team that its urgency needed to rise, he learned to shoot in his grandmothers yard, Damian Lillard went from milk-crate hoops to Dame Time: Im just a believer, Ive always said I wanted to be the best. (Basketball) is art to me because there are so many things that go on within a team, within a game, within a season, Lillard said. He averaged 19.4 points as a junior and 22.4 points and 5.3 assists as a senior, earning First Team All-League honors both years. About the leader who spent the final moments of his high school career near the bench, but instead of sulking about fouling out, he stood and applauded his OHS teammates. As one of the worlds most talented basketball players, he is an imposing figure. I stuck with it for the most part. The teams traded leads eight times and neither led by more than six points. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The celebration surrounding Damian Lillard s record-breaking performance was short-lived. With 15 points and 13 rebounds, Watts secured his second straight double-double, after collecting 18 and 12 in a quarterfinal win. Point/Counterpoint: Are All-Star games meant to be played during the regular season? The next year, Lillard came back and averaged 22.4 points while leading Oakland to 23 wins and the NorCal semifinals, its best season under Watkins until this one. Williams went off for 12 points in the first half on Saturday. He played college basketball for the Weber State Wildcats and earned third-team All-American honors in 2012. Damian Lillard averaged 19.4 points as a junior. To make the inconvenience worse, Lillard says he hates needles. So, I live for the moments when Im taking over and dominating games, but I dont live for the stuff that comes afterwards, Lillard said. We dont do anything until after your education is taken care of. Lillard scored 60 points on Jan. 25 during a victory over Utah. 2005-2023 CBS Interactive. Lillard was a three-time All-Star and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2013. Coming up here, I knew there was going to be a lot of my people there enjoying the show and the students. When he was a member of the basketball team at Weber State University, he was the schools second-highest scorer. Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? Right, Born: Neither do we. A lot of the things I am going to be interested in when Im done playing, Im going to need a college degree for those things. How much does Damian Lillard make? He launched a fadeaway three at a couple of steps from halfcourt with no time left and nailed it, thus ending the Thunders hopes at a ring. With 19.8 points per game, Williams produced at about the same clip this season as Lillard did (19.4 ppg) after he transferred in for his junior year in 2006-07. He was never highly regarded as a youth, and as a sophomore in high school he was benched. In addition to his 25 points, five assists, five boards, and one steal per game, the Portland Trail Blazers forward is the only player in NBA history to top 25 points, five assists, five boards, and one steal per game. With the playoffs heating up, the Blazers will be without their star point guard, who will be missed. We used to have to play right after school. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nba | pageType: stories | If you adjust for inflation, it is the lowest average in any player who has ever won a scoring title. He wants to get there.. Damian Lillard attended Oakland in Oakland, California and Weber State. PORTLAND, Ore. For years, people have been urging Damian Lillard to get into art. Two-hour practices, hed yell at us, call us every name in the book, throw hard-ass passes and the ball would hit us in the chest, Lillard says. For me, I cant play basketball for the rest of my life. He worked into the Arroyo High varsity starting lineup as a 5-foot-5 freshman, but once it became clear his coach would not return, Lillard searched for a new school. Oct 15, 2021. Trust me, if the ball was in Dames hands then everybody knew. It was good for all the students to see how important that part is. The core of this team will remain intact: Five of the Wildcats top six scorers, including Williams 19.8 per game, were underclassmen. Through the 1990s, Gamble worked at the Ira Jinkins Recreation Center commonly referred to by the name of its neighborhood. For me, its the beauty in it for where we are as a team, for one, Lillard said. I was thinking, What if I was a student right now and someone from before me was up here doing this? I would be so amazed by it. According to the team, Lillard is eager to resume his career, but there is no timetable for his return. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Your US State Privacy Rights | Children's Online Privacy Policy | Interest-Based Ads | About Nielsen Measurement | Do Not Sell My Personal Information | Contact Us | Disney Ad Sales Site. "I don't think I've been on a team where we've missed this many games from our starters.". The Oakland native was throwing up monster shots from the logo back then too. Mekai holds a 3.9 GPA and would like to play -- Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook). And after 39 minutes of absorbing double teams and traps, the point guard had six assists and only two turnovers. Center Jonas Valanciunas (calf) and guard Josh Richardson (quadriceps) are listed as questionable. These memories reveal the legend of a boy from Brookfield, cultivated and cared for by the hands in his hometown. Lillard searched for games, and when grown men took over the main court an invitation for most of the smaller kids to retreat to the back room for PlayStation II he stayed and watched. He was funny, friendly and full of life, Oakland High assistant principal Shoshanna Towers told Patch.com. MitchMash: Damian Lillard had more than me fooled in high school. inOakland,California This is the second time Lillard has surpassed 60 points this season and the fifth time for his career. To the more than 19,000 in attendance, it was so moving and so unmistakable that something special was happening that a palpable tension started building in the first quarter. He did it multiple times, in addition to on the video screen and on the basketball court. He was named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Year twice and led the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament in each of his four years. Really? As Lillard and Cronin waited on the sideline near the scorers table for their cue to walk to center court for a trophy presentation, they talked. Aaron Fentress | The Oregonian/OregonLive, third all time behind Kobe Bryant (five) and Wilt Chamberlain (32), Lillards 71 points is only the 13th game in NBA history.