David Hookstead
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Damian Lillard doesn’t like the shift he’s seen in the NBA over the past few years.
The Portland Trailblazers guard has turned into a dominant player over the past decade. While he’s become a great player, he definitely isn’t impressed by the changes he’s seen over the years.
Specifically, he believes NBA players are entitled and out for themselves.
“The word I was looking for is entitlement. Like, when I came in the league, you had to earn not just what you get from the team or the respect. You had to earn your space on the team. There was no, ‘Oh, you’re the sixth pick of the draft. It’s your team.’ What is this ‘your team’ stuff,” Lillard said when talking with JJ Redick about how he doesn’t like how the NBA has changed.
He then came right out and suggested that his playing days might not last much longer. He simply doesn’t like where the league is headed.
“I think about it all the time where I’m just like, I don’t know if I can just play a long, long time because I don’t enjoy the NBA as a whole is becoming,” the NBA star added.
Is Damian Lillard growing tired of the NBA?
You know things in the NBA are getting a bit out of control when a player of Lillard’s caliber just comes right out and says it.
The NBA has become an incredibly soft league. There’s no better example of this fact than load management. Star players just pick and choose when they want to play. They get paid for all 82 regular season games, but they only play a chunk of them.
Families save up money to be able to afford tickets to a game, and it’s not at all uncommon for a team’s best players to sit on short notice.
As Charles Barkley said, load management is “disrespectful” to fans and the game. That’s just one example.
The former Weber State guard also pointed out how basketball has become about the person and not the team. That’s an incredibly true statement. The NBA is now about players building brands more so than just notching wins. Every player needs a brand. Look at their Instagram for proof of that fact.
Meanwhile, Lillard just goes out there and puts up huge numbers without drawing much attention to himself.
There’s also probably something to be said for the fact Damian Lillard came from a small Big Sky school long before social media was huge. Thanks to Instagram and Twitter, everyone thinks they’re a star these days.
That wasn’t the case when you couldn’t run to the internet for some quick affirmation.
Props to Damian Lillard for speaking his mind. Hopefully, he doesn’t retire. The Portland star is one of easiest guys to cheer for in the entire league.
The NBA has been unwatchable for me for years. And I grew up loving the NBA. I grew up a Pistons fan, even through the years they were awful. I still loved watching the old Celtics, 76ers, Knicks, Lakers…some great teams. Then the Bad Boys got together and had to get through the Celtics, Lakers, Knicks, Bulls, etc. Those were great years for the NBA. Every team was a TEAM. And they were all tough. Today? It’s not even interesting. It’s all about individuals and their branding. Defense is not played. Once upon a time, a team letting in 90 points was laughed at around the league. Today? 120 points is not uncommon. 100 is a regular thing. No one is allowed to touch anyone else. Everyone just tosses up 3s or tries to dunk. It’s lifeless. It’s boring.