OAKLAND, Calif. – As the Golden State Warriors headed toward the locker room after the buzzer sounded, head coach Steve Kerr went in the opposite direction to offer respect to Damian Lillard. And while the 128-112 loss stung – especially after his own poor shooting – the Portland Trail Blazers guard appreciated Kerr reaching out to him.
“It’s a level of respect considering the fact that he is the championship coach of the best team in the league,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports. “He doesn’t have to come to my side and say anything to me. But as I was walking off the court he walked right up to me and said he really respected who I am and what I’m doing as a player. And I said the same.”
Kerr’s words came after Lillard told The Oregonian he didn’t like Kerr comparing him to Warriors All-Star guard Stephen Curry. Kerr said Lillard “looked like Steph Curry out there” after he scored a career-high 51 points during the Blazers’ 137-105 win over the Warriors on Feb. 19. It was the Warriors’ worse loss of this season during an NBA-record 58-6 start.
Lillard said his dissatisfaction with Kerr’s comments was blown out of proportion. Lillard, however, also added, “I’m my own person.”
“I’ve expressed to Steph, myself and to many people that I respect him as a player and what he has done because it’s special,” said Lillard, who had 17 points after missing 14 of 19 shots. “What he is doing on this team is special. But I’m not impersonating anybody. I’m just being myself. I want to be able to do my job well without someone saying he is doing his best impersonation of this guy.”
Lillard said Kerr told him after Friday’s game that his comments were “just media fun and he was messing around” – and far from a slight.
Curry scored 34 points while making seven 3-pointers in the Warriors’ win, is the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player and is arguably the most popular basketball player in the world now. With that in mind, a comparison to the leading NBA MVP candidate would seem like high praise.
But considering Lillard’s tough road to stardom and competitive fire, it is understandable why he feels otherwise.
“He is up there with Kobe [Bryant],” Blazers and ex-Los Angeles Lakers forward Ed Davis said of Lillard’s competitiveness. “He’s one of those players who feels like no matter what, if we are down 20 with a few minutes to go we can make a push and come back.”
Lillard went from Oakland High to mid-major Weber State to NBA Rookie of the Year to two-time All-Star to leading a playoff push this season, despite the departure of All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, to being a peeved All-Star snub. Lillard thrives off his underdog status, his toughness, hard work and swagger. Such a persona is a staple common in “The Town,” which has produced such pro athletes as Bill Russell, Rickey Henderson, Gary Payton, Joe Morgan, Marshawn Lynch, Jason Kidd, Brian Shaw and Curt Flood.
Kerr said he voted for Lillard as a Western Conference All-Star reserve and thought he should have made it. Kerr also expressed respect for Lillard’s impact in not just Oakland but the Bay Area.
“I told him I respect him and how proud Oakland is of him,” Kerr said. “I’ve only lived in the Bay Area for a year and a half and I see how much pride everyone in the Bay Area takes in homegrown products. Everyone in the Bay, and the East Bay in particular, loves Damian. We have a lot of respect for him.”
Lillard grew up in walking distance from Oracle Arena and loved watching the Warriors on TV locally. He said his family owned Golden State season tickets when he was in the fourth and fifth grades – and he witnessed a lot of bad basketball. With Curry starring at point guard, Lillard may never get a chance to play for his hometown team. Those terrible Warriors teams of his childhood, however, actually kept Lillard from dreaming about playing for them one day.
“They had like Mookie Blaylock and Vonteego Cummings, Terry Cummings, all those dudes, Tony Farmer, J-Rich [Jason Richardson], Larry Hughes, Chris Mills. They were trash though,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports. “They would lose all the games. They would be in the games and they would lose.”
Also down the street from Oracle Arena is Lillard’s yearly free neighborhood picnic that includes BBQ from local fireman, free T-shirts, pony and waterslide rides for the kids and rap performances. His fourth annual picnic is expected to take place this offseason. With his game on the court, professional-level rap skills and desire to give back to his community, Lillard has his own hometown story.
Curry is impressed.
“Dame is an amazing talent,” Curry said. “Obviously, there is a chip on his shoulder for a lot of different reasons. He feeds off of that. I’m sure he wants to create his own identity and who he is as a player and make noise that way.”
- Basketball
- Sports & Recreation
- Golden State Warriors
- Damian Lillard
- Steve Kerr
- Stephen Curry
