Damian Lillard’s 71-Point Masterpiece Paints the Perfect Picture of Leadership and Legacy.

By Joshua Heron - (Student at Howard University)

Reading Time 3 Mins

With 19,000 in attendance at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, it didn't take long for Portland Trailblazer point guard Damian Lillard to make his presence known in a 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Feb. 26, 2023, nailing three threes and dropping 16 points in the first quarter. Dame Time was ticked. Lillard closed the half with 41 points.?

Lillard’s 71-point performance adds to an extensive and impressive resume. Not only did he do it in 39 minutes, 12 minutes less than Donovan Mitchell's 71-point performance in early January, but he was just shy of 58 percent from the field. Lillard is the eighth player in NBA history to score 70 or more points.?

?The Weber State product and sixth pick in the 2012 draft is a seven-time NBA All-Star, gold medalist, and recognized as a top 75 player of all time. A career marked by ruining playoff dreams with clutch buzzer beaters and 35-foot bombs, Lillard holds the Trailblazer record for points, three-point field goals, free throws, and offensive plus/minus.?

However, the stellar performance adds reason to why some media professionals, NBA fans, and former NBA players have told Lillard to leave Portland and take his talents elsewhere in recent years. To a team "where his performances matter." To a title-contending team.?

In a league where LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant display no signs of slowing down, and the likes of Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, and Ja Morant are exponentially rising, Lillard's window to win a championship in Portland is perceived as closed. However, Lillard's bastion remains loyalty.?

He is building a legacy that is redefining the meaning of winning. Not submitting to the mass chatter, Lillard, who has never publicly demanded a trade, reveals that true victory is in knowing that he laid it all out for one team versus "winning" elsewhere and then being uneasy about going against his conscience.?

Trailblazer is not only the name on his jersey. It is a trait knitted in Lillard's DNA. He is a trailblazer. A pioneer. A trendsetter. A leader. His willingness to serve the city that picked him, a two-star recruit out of Oakland who was benched his sophomore year of high school, speaks to his leadership.?

Dame understands winning from within requires endurance. Nevertheless, although he doesn't have a finals appearance, Lillard has been a consistent winner.?

With Lillard, the Blazers made eight straight playoff appearances from 2014-2021, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2019.

Portland native and rising senior at Howard University, Badi Cross, appreciates Lillard for his loyalty but understands why some people in Portland wouldn’t take offense if Lillard left.

“I am elated that he stays committed to my city, but out of love, I understand why others in Portland might encourage him to leave,” Cross said. “We want him to win and understand if it takes going to another franchise to do so after he did so much for Portland, Oregon.

However, Cross does not understand why people decide Lillard’s future for him.?

“It upsets me when the media and fans of the league tell him to leave because all they want is Dame to continue what he is doing in a big market,” Cross said. “People are acting as they know better than him; however, I don’t think they understand him.”

Cross acknowledges his on-court selflessness that illuminates his leadership.?

“Lillard started the third quarter (against the Rockets) setting up teammates. He didn’t hunt a single shot which shows the young players it isn’t about stat-padding or always utilizing the hot hand but actually about winning the game,” Cross said.

Lillard's first shot of the second half in his historic performance against the Rockets came at the 8:42 mark of the third quarter because he was double teamed for the first few minutes. During this time, Lillard started dishing the ball to his teammates. Lillard finished the game with six assists.?

His selflessness is an essential part of his leadership. As Dame, 32, points to his wrist, indicating it's "Dame Time" when his crowd-rising, long-distance threes shatter the opponents hope to win, he is also aware that his time in the league is running out. Perhaps the clearest example is young guard Anfernee Simons.?

Simons was drafted in the first round of the 2018 NBA draft at 19 years old. He is averaging a career-high 21.4 points per game this season. The young thoroughbred has prospered under Lillard's wings, attempting nearly 17 shots a game this season, a sign of Lillard entrusting Simons.?

Simons talked to Andscape about Lillard’s leadership.

“Everything I’m going through, he’s been through and then some. So, whatever he’s telling me is valuable information,” Simons said. “And I can tell from the beginning that he was really invested in me.”

Staying in Portland is perceived as not the most auspicious destination, but Lillard remains faithful to establishing a winning culture and molding the future. His faithfulness has the potential to have a solid return on investment, depending on how the Blazers close out this season’s final stretch.?

The Trailblazers currently sit a game and a half-game out of the tenth-seed play-in spot and five-and-a-half games out of the fourth seed in the western table.?

A seat at the table.

?It is the very token of success in today's world. By any means necessary is the extent many are willing to go to have a chair with their name engraved. However, some, like Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, are comfortable with being the outlier. Lillard finds comfort in leading and building a legacy by serving at his assigned table.?

Lillard recently appeared on the Point Forward podcast and addressed what he wants his legacy to be.?

“I want to be remembered for who I was, not as a player but as by the principles that I stood on regardless of how successful I was, how major the failure was, the criticism or what people thought I should have done.”?

He closed by warning those urging him to leave.

“They better pray that I don’t win a championship for the Blazers.”