The Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, LA Clippers, and other teams are fighting for the former Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, who is currently one of the most sought-after commodities in the NBA. Despite Portland’s failure to advance to the NBA Finals, the Oakland native led and played brilliantly for the team for 11 years.

He is now focused on the next phase of his career as a professional basketball player; an even bigger legacy and a title are his goals. In an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife, Lillard stated, “I want to be the ultimate example.” “I want them to say Damian Lillard is the perfect example when coaches, players, and scouts are going into a draft and want to find a player that’s going to help the team or change the team, that they’re going to have to work with every day that is going to try to give a better chance to win and be a good organization— just be a team that has a chance to be a champion.”

Damian Lillard. (Shutterstock)

He continued, “I want them to say, ‘He had the ability, he made the all-star games, his durability, the kind of teammate he was, how coachable he was, his work ethic, the kind of person he was onscreen and offscreen, what he represented, what he came from.’ I want all of those things to be what my legacy is. I want to be remembered for those things. And ultimately, hopefully the cherry on top would be that he did all of those things and he was a champion, as well.” In 11 seasons with Portland, Lillard has been named to seven All-Star teams, made seven All-NBA teams, and earned a spot on the NBA 75. Last season, he averaged 32.2 points per game on 64.5 percent true shooting last season.

The Weber State standout has reportedly set his sights on Miami, despite not making any mention of his future plans. He underlined that he tries his hardest to “keep out the noise” and remain focused on his objectives in an interview with HollywoodLife. When it’s all over, Lillard stated, “I want to be able to look back and say that I stayed true to myself and I wasn’t influenced by other things and other people in a way that made me step outside of who I truly am.” As long as he achieves this, he will be content with his life.

He added, “Whenever it starts to get noisy, whenever it starts to get a little cloudy, I always put myself ahead of that and I say, ‘Okay, when all the smoke clears and everything goes away, when that time comes, what do I want to look back on and be proud of?’ And I think staying true to myself is something that I’ll always say. When I get to the other side of whatever is happening, I don’t want to get over there and feel like I compromised what I really care about or who I am. So that’s what allows me to work through that.”

Damian Lillard partners with Model. (Courtesy of Modelo)

Dame’s attitude is ideal for his newest endeavour with Modelo, which honours the spirit of perseverance. He stated, “I feel like that’s just my story from when I was a kid to when I made it to the NBA, to now.” Everything has seemed like an uphill struggle to me. Thus, I believe that you already possess that battling spirit. It’s not something that people will notice when they look at you; rather, it’s what you’ve experienced and the path you’ve chosen through those challenges. That, I believe, is what I stand for. Through Modelo, Lillard will use his Instagram account to urge followers to enter the sweepstakes and will be releasing a new bucket list task for followers to finish in the months of June, July, and August. Ten winners will receive a personalised beer bucket inspired by Modelo and Dame every month, along with a gift card good for a summer’s supply of Modelo* and necessary Modelo items for the summertime. In addition, three contestants will get a different big prize at the conclusion of the summer that includes personally chosen goods from Dame.