The story of one Damian Lillard has not been fully written. The No. 6 overall pick of the Portland Trail Blazers out of Weber State back in 2012, this small-school product has been loyal to his organization in the Pacific Northwest.
He’s now being rewarded for it. Perhaps, we should say he is rewarding himself for that loyalty. Dame entered Monday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder needing 21 points to surpass Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler for the No. 1 spot on the Blazers’ all-time scoring list.
Lillard reached that plateau late in the third quarter after nailing a free throw to give him 18,041 career points with the Blazers.
That’s pretty remarkable stuff right there. In an era that sees star players change teams like rental cars, Lillard has made sure to stay true to his Blazers. He has now passed an all-time great on the team’s scoring list.
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Lillard, 32, now ranks No. 1 in Blazers history in three-pointers made, free throws, free-throw percentage, player efficiency rating and points scored.
As for his place in NBA history as one of the greatest shooters ever, Lillard opened up about his standing ahead of Monday’s game. He put it into perspective in a big way.
“Obviously I think Steph is the greatest ever, but I think after him, I don’t see why I’m not clear-cut in that discussion. Once I get up there, I’m curious to see what people will say about me as a shooter at that point,” Damian Lillard ahead of Monday night’s game.
Props to the young man for this accomplishment. We’re sure there’s many more to come.