Damian Lillard Opens Up On Playing In Hometown Oakland: “It’s A Special Connection. It Means A Lot To Me Because It’s Similar To When I Go Home To Oakland And I Play Against The Golden State Warriors.”
As much as we like to think about them as superhumans, NBA players are just regular people -who are really talented at basketball.
They grew up idolizing players and rooting for teams just like the rest of us. So, even if they didn't get to play for their hometown team, they still have some preferences.
If you don't take our word for it, just ask Damian Lillard. Lillard has always been faithful to the Portland Trail Blazers and clearly loves the team and the fans.
Even so, he admits that he feels a special connection to Warriors and Jazz fans due to his past in Oakland and Weber state:
“It’s a special connection. It means a lot to me because it’s similar to when I go home to Oakland and I play against the Golden State Warriors. When they call my name in the starting lineups, the crowd shows me a lot of love and it’s the same when we play against the (Utah) Jazz. They say ‘from Weber State’ and everybody just kind of goes crazy out of love,” Lillard said in an interview with Heavy.
“It’s a great level of appreciation on my side, because these are the people that had this type of appreciation for me before the rest of the world even knew who I was. I never lose sight of that. I never take that for granted,” Dame concluded.
It's pretty dope of the fans to continue rooting for their hometown boys, even if that means cheering for a rival player when he visits town.
At the end of the day, Lillard -and all players- are just doing their job. They have contractual obligations with another organization, but they're still human beings with feelings and ties to other communities. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
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