(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Throughout the course of his NBA career, Damian Lillard was always linked to two teams: the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.
Prior to this offseason, he had never even hinted at the possibility of leaving the Portland Trail Blazers.
However, the Lakers’ never-ending desire to have the biggest names in the game, and the fact that he was born and raised in Oakland and admittedly grew up rooting for the Warriors also made it a logical destination.
But that may never be the case, as Lillard reportedly snubbed LeBron James and the Lakers once, and he recently claimed he would never play for the Warriors.
In his latest appearance on the “It Is What It Is” podcast, the multi-time All-Star claimed that he would much rather choose to lose every single year than play for the Warriors, adding that it wouldn’t even make sense for him (via NBACentral).
Damian Lillard says he would rather lose ‘every year’ before joining Golden State
“I respect what they’ve been doing over the last eight, nine years or whatever and I’m from there obviously. That’s home. But I can’t be a part of that…. It don’t even make sense. I never do… pic.twitter.com/2hoVn69oG6
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 19, 2023
Of course, that wasn’t a knock on his hometown team, as he admitted that he has plenty of respect for everything they’ve done and accomplished over the last decade; it’s just not the way he wants to compete for a championship.
Lillard infamously called out Paul George for running from the grind years ago, and while he wants to leave the Blazers, that doesn’t mean he wants to join a superteam.
That’s perhaps why he identifies with the Miami Heat and Heat Culture, as he would rather take a different and tougher path to the NBA Finals, unlike other stars before him.
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