Bucks star Damian Lillard hyped for 'full circle' Bay Area All-Star Game
Yesterday at 01:05 PM
Damian Lillard wears the letter O on his Milwaukee Bucks jersey in part to pay homage to Oregon, where he played for the Portland Trail Blazers, and in part for Ogden, the Utah college town where he played for Weber State. But the original O, his hometown of Oakland, occupies a giant slice of the symbolic pie.
“I really grew up in, like, the real part of Oakland,” he said after Monday’s 125-111 loss to the Golden State Warriors, when he led the Bucks with 38 points. “I’m from the neighborhood.”
Returning to his hometown as an NBA All-Star this weekend brings him back to the origins of his life and his hoop dreams. Those dreams went to another level the last time the Bay Area hosted the NBA’s biggest showcase 25 years ago, at Oakland Arena.
“It’s definitely a full circle moment,” he said. “I didn’t go to school that whole week, you know, my dad let me stay home. It was just a great week, a lot of memories. Vince Carter won that dunk contest. A lot of my favorite players I grew up watching played in that All-Star game.”
Back then, young Damian Lillard could only dream of what the future would hold. He returns at 34 years old as a 9-time All-Star, a member of the NBA’s 75 all-time greatest player fraternity, and an Olympic gold medalist. Oh, and the reigning All-Star Game MVP and two-time defending champ in the 3-Point Contest.
In Oakland, he’ll be among family and friends who took the bus with him, played in the parks with him, even skipped school with him before he hit the big time. Then, he was an undersized and barely recruited high school player at Oakland High School who took an offer at a school, Weber State University, far off the major college map.
“To be coming back home, you know, at 34 and all of these people really know (my journey), I think that’s what makes me look forward to [this year’s All-Star Weekend] a little bit more,” he said.
Amid all the catching up with teammates and coaches and checking in on his scholarship program and other philanthropic efforts, Lillard knows he has to take time to rest, too. With Giannis Antetokounmpo out with a calf injury, Lillard has averaged 37 minutes and 29.6 points over the last five games. He’s got nagging injuries, too, that could use time to heal.
“I hope he wins the 3-point contest,” said Bucks coach Doc Rivers. “I hope he plays two minutes in the All-Star game and then gets rest.” But Rivers acknowledged that’s probably not realistic for Oakland’s main man.
Up next: the Bucks have one more game before the All-Star break, at Minnesota on Wednesday night.
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