Bucks' Damian Lillard makes unique comparison of current state of NBA to WWE
09/26/2024 05:17 PM
As Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Damian Lillard recently alluded to, the NBA and WWE have much in common regarding player’s brands, fanfare, and unpredictable storylines. There aren’t any teams or trades in professional wrestling, but the rest does apply as the eight-time All-Star enters his second season with a team he was surprisingly traded to, the Bucks, before training camp in 2023. That’s the unpredictability of trades in the association; there’s a surprising move every offseason, as fans become attached not necessarily to the team as a whole but to the players as individuals. After Lillard promoted his new Bucks-themed Adidas sneakers this week, he joined the Get Got Pod with Marshawn Lynch & Mike Robinson.
Damian compared today’s NBA state to the WWE regarding fans following athletes’ image and likeness rather than the team the star plays for and how scoring has taken an enormous leap due to three-point shooting, thus making the NBA a highly entertaining product.
“It's entertainment, man. Look at the WWE, for example, and I'm not comparing them. I'm just saying when I grew up watching wrestling, I thought these [guys] lived in the woods like they say. Like I thought the Undertaker lived in the graveyard,” Lillard said. “I really thought that this was their character, and I'm sure they weren't making money like they are now.
“Now, these guys walk to the ring, and they've got their Twitter and Instagram handle right there, and you could follow them and all that. They're paying for the personalities, and it's different, and I think it's not the same for the NBA, but I think the entertainment part of it is the same thing for the league,” Lillard concludes.
When LeBron James decided to sign with the Miami Heat in 2010, he became a villain throughout his first season with the Heat. However, after winning two NBA titles in three seasons, that was no longer the case as LeBron’s fans suddenly became Heat fans and are now Los Angeles Lakers fans. This proves that most of James’ fanbase remained loyal to him, not the team he’s always played for.
Then, superstars like Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving followed suit, leaving their teams in free agency or demanding a trade for a better opportunity to win a championship.
Damian Lillard releases Bucks Adidas Dame 9
Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard is entering his 13th NBA season and commemorates his second year with the Bucks by releasing the Adidas Dame 9. The Lillard’s 90s Bucks throwback colorway-inspired kicks were posted on Sneaker News’ X, formerly Twitter.
The Bucks' 90s throwbacks inspire the latest adidas Dame 9
Release Date: October 22nd ($120) pic.twitter.com/9Ic3tWOzgP
— Sneaker News (@SneakerNews) September 23, 2024
/The Adidas Dame 9 is slated for an October 22 release with a standard retail price of $120.
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