NBA

Portland star Damian Lillard points out the mentality problem that ails most kids aiming for the NBA

The future of the NBA could be compromised because of a problem with the mindset of kids who dream of playing in it, something Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard points out.

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
© Jacob Kupferman/Getty ImagesDamian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Sport is a magnet for the desires of young people. It is an aspirational theme: fame, social recognition and massive economic remuneration. Who wouldn’t want to be an NBA star, for example? Damian Lillard, player of the Portland Trail Blazers is well aware of this.

Advertisement

The 32-year-old point guard, who has already spent ten seasons in the NBA, is in full maturity and has the necessary experience to advise those young talents, those children, who dream of occupying the place he currently holds, as a star of one of the league’s teams.

That is why Damian Lillard has raised his voice to point out a mentality problem in the new generations that he has noticed when living with them, as it happened in the Formula Zero Camp that he led in Oregon.

Advertisement

What is the mentality of the kids who dream of the NBA according to Lillard?

The Portland Trail Blazers star commented in a press conference after one of the sessions of the camp in which he shared experiences and moments with 40 middle and high school kids, the deficiency he notices in the mentality of those who want to play in the NBA.

When I was in college it was like, you have to earn it. I was in the combine in my head thinking like ‘I might be in the second round. I might not get picked.’ I literally believed that. I guarantee that if you ask every kid on the bus, they think ‘I’m going to the NBA.’ There’s no question in their mind about whether or not it’s going to happen because that’s the culture that it is now. They expect to be in the NBA… there’s no humility. There’s a lot of fake humility where people know how to play the role but they don’t have people around them that’s like showing them how to be and how to handle stuff so it’s just
natural (to them)
.”, stated Lillard according to Fade Away World.

Advertisement

The name of the technique that these guys have yet to master according to Damian Lillard is the humility to know that you have to work hard to achieve your goals, a clear example of his career where he still aspires to be able to win an NBA title that has been denied him with the Portland Trail Blazers in 10 seasons due to lack of more backup talentedplayersaround him.

ALSO READ
Where to watch Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs live in the USA: 2025/2026 NBA regular season
NBA

Where to watch Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs live in the USA: 2025/2026 NBA regular season

Duke’s Kon Knueppel gets shocking NBA Draft prediction after lottery
College Basketball

Duke’s Kon Knueppel gets shocking NBA Draft prediction after lottery

NCAAB News: Duke Blue Devils to make history in the 2025 NBA Draft
College Basketball

NCAAB News: Duke Blue Devils to make history in the 2025 NBA Draft

Where to watch Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks live in the USA: 2024 NBA regular season game
NBA

Where to watch Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks live in the USA: 2024 NBA regular season game

Better Collective Logo