The 2019-20 NBA season has been unlike any other, and that sentiment could have been shared by Porltand Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard even before the season went on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lillard scored 60 points on two different occasions this season, becoming just the fifth player in NBA history to accomplish that feat. Dame is also averaging career highs in scoring (28.9 PPG), assists (7.8) and field-goal percentage (45.7). But this has also been a challenging year for his Blazers, who are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since Lillard was a rookie.
Dame held a Zoom meeting with media members on Wednesday to discuss the NBA restart, the Blazers’ playoff chances, and how he plans to continue fighting for social change.
Q: Was there any talk amongst the team about not wanting to be a part of the restart in Orlando?
Lillard: It wasn’t like, too much of a conversation. I think guys were just like, as much as we want to go play, if our brotherhood or the rest of the league is willing to go make a statement and say, it’s not worth it, we’re not going to go play, then we’d stand with them on that. But that wasn’t the case.
I can speak for all of us when I say our hearts are with the black community and everything that’s happening, but we feel like it’s a risk worth taking to go finish out our season.
Q: You were involved in the Black Lives Matter protests. How will you continue pushing that message in Orlando with this restart?
Lillard: I think obviously it’ll be a lot of eyes on us in Orlando. I do agree with the fact that it’s an opportunity for us to make statements with the amount of people that’s going to be watching. Whether that’s together, or before games, during games, after games, TV commercials, whatever that might be, I do see some opportunity in that, but that’s really not good enough. I think that’s just a small part of it.
Q: Can you talk about the response to the song you wrote, “Blacklist”? One, why you wrote it and performed it, and just the response to that. (Editor’s Note: Lillard dropped the single in response to nationwide riots and protests following the death of George Floyd).
Lillard: I wrote it because I have actual thoughts and feelings about it, and I do music, so I was like, what better way to express it?
I grew up with Oscar Grant, who was killed at a BART [Bay Area Rapid Transit] station while handcuffed, face down. I’ve been racially profiled by cops before I was in the NBA, so I have thoughts and feelings about this stuff. That’s what “Blacklist” was about and I felt like it was well-received. I think a lot of people felt the same way, not just black people.
A lot of people who were offended by it were probably part of the problem. So it was meant to offend you, and meant to bring some feelings out of you, and I stand on that.
Q: How would you grade the commissioner on how they handled the shutdown?
Lillard: I think the shutdown was a great call. It was a quick, aggressive decision. I remember we were going to play Memphis I think the next day, and I got a text after practice like, no fans at the game tomorrow. And then an hour later it was like, the game is cancelled. And then after that it was like, the season is suspended. I was like, wow, that was quick, but it was a firm, strong, tough decision on the spot.
After everything that’s taken place in the last few months, you look back at it like, man, we still hadn’t played at Brooklyn and so we could’ve ended up going to New York … you know what I’m saying? Like, you just … it ended up being a great decision. I would give him an A+ for that because he saved a lot of things from happening that didn’t need to happen.
Q: What will life be like for you in the bubble, knowing that there’s not a whole lot to do but hoop and come home? What kind of plans do you have?
Lillard: I know they’re going to have activities for us and all that stuff, but I mean, I’m going to be chilling. I feel like it’s still a possibility for there to be something spread within that bubble. Just with there being so many people and so many different things we gotta follow to be safe, even though we’re not exposed to the public I guess.
So for me it’s going to be, what time is practice, what time can I get in the weight room, what time can I get some shots up, what’s the plan for gameday, and I’m going to be in the room. I’m gonna have my PS3, my PS4, I’m gonna have my studio equipment, my mic, my laptop, all my books, and I mean that’s it, man. I’m gonna be in the room chilling.
CJ [McCollum] told me he’s gonna have his custom wine, so I’ll probably have a glass of wine with CJ and Melo, and that’s it, man.
Q: Have you thought about how you’re approaching these eight games? Obviously, there’s not a lot of room for error. Are you figuring you’re going out there full-bore, I’ll do whatever it takes to make the playoffs, or is it more of a balancing act in terms of minutes?
Lillard: There will be no balance. We don’t have time for that. It’s eight games. Everybody’s going to be rested. We can’t feel it out. We can’t come out there and think we have time. This is basically an eight-game season, and we’re starting off behind. We gotta come in there and hit the ground running.
Q: How do you feel about your chances of making the Playoffs, given your schedule?
Lillard: I feel good about our chances. We feel like getting [Jusuf Nurkic] and getting Zach [Collins] back, we’re a different team with those guys. Everybody’s coming back rusty, it’s a neutral court, neutral site, so I feel like it’s fair. I really didn’t look at the schedule and who we play. The only thing I asked for is an opportunity to make it, and we’ve been given that, so we have to go show up and do what we gotta do.
