Since this is a member of the Blazers, I assume he will be announcing his trade demand and/or career ending surgery! j/k.....I think.
Lillard is such a class act. Damn, we are so lucky to have him. Not just a great athlete but a truly great person. He just gets it. I can actually see him being mayor of Oakland or governor of California someday. Buzzmaster (2:58 PM) Damian Lillard should be here in minutes to take your questions! Buzzmaster (3:01 PM) Damian is here! Siros (Portland OR) Favorite thing about the campers so far? Damian Lillard (3:02 PM) I think my favorite thing is the energy they bring consistently. We go from 9a-3p and they have to do all this stuff. Changing courts, changing gyms. They take all of these instructions and they keep at it hard. It's special that they can keep their energy up. Chris Portland [via mobile] Will you be attending the ESPYS? What are you looking forward to the most about being there? Damian Lillard (3:03 PM) I will be attending the ESPYS. The thing I'm looking forward to the most is walking the red carpet with a Special Olympics athlete. Rachel (Portland, OR) You've been nominated for the Best Breakthrough Athlete at this year's ESPY's. Do you think you have another level you can reach to have another breakout season? Damian Lillard (3:03 PM) Definitely. I think this season was a step up from my rookie year. I think I have a lot of room to grow. I think I can break through a lot more. Gianna (CA) [via mobile] Do you remember any rookie duties that you had to do? Damian Lillard (3:04 PM) There were a few things I had to do. But they took it easy on me. I respected the vets. I showed up and worked hard. I think they liked that and didn't have me do much. John Janisko (Portland) [via mobile] Damian, I was curious what you think is the teams biggest need, to be able to push through to the next level (WCC or Finals). Damian Lillard (3:05 PM) I think we just have to keep growing. We have a good team. Capable team. Everyone just has to come back better. I think our starting five is really strong. We have a bench that's capable of coming in and changing games. We look forward to what we bring to the table this season. Pavle (Serbia) [via mobile] How did you decided to take that game winner againts Houston? Did you feel nervos or scared? Damian Lillard (3:06 PM) I wasn't nervous and I wasn't scared. The play wasn't originally for me to do that, but once I saw how the defense was set up, I knew I could get to that spot and get the shot off. I didn't know if it was going to go in, but I knew I could get there. It felt good as soon as it left my hands. You know what happened after that. Greg (DC) what got you involved with the Special Olympics? Damian Lillard (3:07 PM) I started off doing it when I was in college. I was 17 and it was mandatory for our team to do it once a year. Once I saw how much of an impact it made and how they had love for sports just like we did, I realized how important it was. I just stayed involved and try to get them the same opportunity in sports like we have. Mauricio (Naples, FL) You ever think that you will be part of a free agency fiasco such as this? Damian Lillard (3:08 PM) I doubt it. Tanner Gooch (Ogden, UT) During your time in the Big Sky Conference, who was the best player in the league? Other than yourself... Damian Lillard (3:08 PM) Hmmm..I would say Will Cherry. Alex (Baltimore) How do you go about keeping your emotions in check during games? You always seem to be one of the most calm and collected players on the court, whether it is after hitting a game winning shot or after a questionable foul call against you. Damian Lillard (3:09 PM) I just forget about stuff quick. If there's something that makes me mad, I let it go and worry about the next play. When you approach it like that, you don't have too much frustration or excitement carry over. Matthew (Los Angeles, CA) Do you have a rivalry with Anthony Davis because of your draft class? Damian Lillard (3:10 PM) No, I think the only time we were faced with something like that when the rookie of the year trophy was up for grabs. Other than that, I wouldn't say so. TuCray Columbia SC [via mobile] I think Damian Lillard nickname should be "The Lizard" Damian Lillard (3:10 PM) I strongly disagree with that nickname! Cono Mattia (Italy) How did you work out back in college and what are the bigger differences between ncaa and nba workouts? Did you change your food habits? Are you on a diet? Damian Lillard (3:11 PM) They are pretty similar. The NBA is more structured to where I get shots on the floor. I'll do a workout where I make cuts out of the plays we run with the Blazers or cuts that I need to improve on. It's mostly the same thing, but more detail oriented. Ryan (Minneapolis) How does the addition of Chris Kaman help you next season to become a serious contender out West? Damian Lillard (3:12 PM) I think it will be helpful. He's a great post presence. He's been an all-star. He's been on good teams, bad teams. He can score. We can put him in the five spot and he can give us some valuable minutes. Christian (Toledo, OR) [via mobile] How does it feel to be nominated for 2 different categories a t the ESPYS? Damian Lillard (3:13 PM) It's a great feeling. Before I knew I was nominated, it didn't even cross my mind that I could be going to the ESPYS and be nominated. It's a great feeling. I'm excited. Ed (Queens Village) What does it mean to you being selected to USA National Team for 2014 to 2016 period? Damian Lillard (3:13 PM) For me, it's an honor. A lot of people don't get the opportunity to represent their country while playing a sport they love. A lot of guys could have been chosen for it, there are a lot of great players. I look forward to trying to get on that teeam. Tiffany H.(Springfield) [via mobile] If you could go back and relive any moment from last season, which moment would it be? Damian Lillard (3:14 PM) I would go back to the lockerroom after we beat Houston. I think that was the best moment for our team this season. Panthjit Khosa(portland) [via mobile] How did you improve your ability to finish around the rim in the second half of last season? Damian Lillard (3:15 PM) I just stayed with it. I knew that a lot of the shots that weren't falling were shots I was capable of making. I knew I would get it going eventually. I knew I had to shoot a better percentage. Eventually it started to fall. I didn't do anything special. David Berdahl from Oregon [via mobile] What's your favorite thing about the city of Portland? Damian Lillard (3:16 PM) I think it's the love that they show our team. I always said at the end of my rookie year when we lost 13 in a row, the fans showed up like we were in the playoffs. The fans stayed behind us. When they see us in public, it's always love. They do it all the time, when it's good and bad. That's the biggest thing about the city. Nate Randle [via mobile] What inspires you as a person and an athlete? Damian Lillard (3:17 PM) It's just the fact that I know there are players that are better than me. As long as I am playing, I want to try to catch LeBron and Kevin Durant. I want to work for that. I haven't won a championship. I would love to get better. If we don't get it done, then we're not good enough. That's why I work so hard. Mark (Lake Oswego) I feel like I never understand Batum in his interviews does the team understand anything he says? Damian Lillard (3:18 PM) He's pretty clear. I don't have a hard time with him. He speaks fluent English. I understand him all the time. Bryce (Salem, Oregon) [via mobile] How did you stay focused in crunch time during Game 6 vs. Houston? Damian Lillard (3:19 PM) Because we played a good game. Every game comes down to the stretch. It was 3-2, but I felt we had really won four games already. We played well in those two losses. Any time it comes down to the last minute or two, you're comfortable if you've played a strong game and that's where we were at. Eddy (Illinois) What was your favorite event that you participated in this year's All-Star Weekend? Damian Lillard (3:20 PM) My favorite part was making the all-star team. But other than that, my favorite part was all the events. Show my athleticism. That I can shoot. It shows a lot about my ability on the court. Jordan Traynor [via mobile] If you were LeBron where would you go and why Damian Lillard (3:20 PM) I would probably stay where I'm at in Miami. Tyler(Oklahoma) [via mobile] Favorite workout? Or workout routine? Favorite post workout drink and snack? Damian Lillard (3:21 PM) Not really. It's always different. Damian Lillard (3:22 PM) I just want to say thank you to everybody that took the time out of their great days to go and vote for me. I would love to win two ESPYS, but one would be fine! Continue to vote for me and show me the love and I will return it.
I think Damian Lillard nickname should be "The Lizard" Damian Lillard (3:10 PM) I strongly disagree with that nickname!
We are so lucky to have him on our team. He is so humble and confident. Always believes. Spoken like a true blazer!
Damian Lillard @Dame_Lillard 2m I need a haircut... I ain't had a cut since PAC died. Q and A? I think Dame is addicted to doing Q&A's.
I feel like I never understand Batum in his interviews does the team understand anything he says? Damian Lillard (3:18 PM) He's pretty clear. I don't have a hard time with him. He speaks fluent English. I understand him all the time.
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