179 Best Damian Lillard Quotes on Basketball and Life (2023)

1. “Visionary means being able to see a place for something that can be impactful before it’s right in front of you. ” ― Damian Lillard

2. “If you want to look good in front of thousands, you have to outwork thousands in front of nobody.”

3. “Anytime odds get stacked up against me, I feel like it's in me to beat it.”

4. “Even though I’ve got a family, I’ve got all these commercials and these endorsements, I don’t forget the thing that makes all of those things possible which is the hard work, the discipline, the humility, the compassion, all of those things that I know I bring as a person. I know that’s a part of why I’ve been able to get a lot of the things that I’ve gotten.” – Damian Lillard

5. “I love music. In a lot of my downtime, I spend time listening to other people’s music or other people’s rhymes and writing my own.”

6. “I feel like when it comes to rap – like, real rap music – and knowing the pioneers of rap, I feel like there’s no competition for me in the NBA. Other guys can rap, but they’re not as invested or as deep into actual music as I am and always have been. I think that might be what the difference is. I’m more wanting to be an artist.”

7. “I grew up a Warriors fan. ” ― Damian Lillard

8. “How long should I stay dedicated? How long til opportunity meet preparation” - @nipseyhussle”

9. “Pressure, nah, this is just playing ball. Pressure is the homeless man, who doesn’t know where his next meal is coming from. Pressure is the single mom, who is trying to scuffle and pay her rent.

10. “We know what you meant bro, nothing but love for you now don’t stress and let’s get that W,” another Twitter user said.

11. “Respect is earned, not given.”

12. “If you want to look good in front of thousands, you have to out work thousands in front of nobody. ” ― Damian Lillard

13. “Put some respect on my fucking name!” – Damian Lillard

14. “If your dreams don’t match your actions, you can either change your dreams or change your actions.”

15. “Put some respect on my f*cking name!” ― Damian Lillard

16. “I’ve seen too many of the negative effects that bullying has on people, especially kids. Now that I’ve learned how many people look up to us as NBA players, I want to make the most of it by getting behind positive initiatives like anti-bullying.” – Damian Lillard

17. “I want to have hit records, but I’m not searching to say, ‘All right, I need this to be in the club. I need this, that. ’ I’m just making quality music. ” ― Damian Lillard

18. “I’ve never had issues with stardom.”

19. “I’m here to be a leader and show younger people the way. ” ― Damian Lillard

20. “It’s nothing for us to be ashamed of, I thought we played a really good game. I don’t think the score said the way the game went. ” ― Damian Lillard

21. “When I get done playing basketball, I’m definitely not going to be a rapper. I’m not going to be an old person who is focused on being a rapper.”

22. “It’s important to be able to stay level and keep your mind right and keep your mind strong.” – Damian Lillard

23. “I know, personally, people said a lot about what kind of defender I was. So I wanted to get better at it. ” ― Damian Lillard

24. “When I get done playing basketball, I'm definitely not going to be a rapper. I'm not going to be an old person who is focused on being a rapper.”

25. “Pressure, nah. Fam, this is just playing ball,” the Portland Trail Blazers point guard replied. “Pressure is the homeless man, who doesn’t know where his next meal is coming from. Pressure is the single mom, who is trying to scuffle and pay her rent.”

26. “Anytime odds get stacked up against me, I feel like it’s in me to beat it. ” ― Damian Lillard

27. “As a kid, I always wanted to obviously win a Super Bowl. Now that I've got one, it's like, 'Now what?' Let's go get another one!”

28. “If you want to look good in front of thousands then you have to outwork thousands in front of nobody.”

29. “It’s not about being the best, it’s about being better than yesterday.”

30. “I’m just a kid from Oakland who had big dreams and worked hard to make them a reality.”

31. “When you listen to my music, you’re going to know that you’re getting the real me, my real thoughts and feelings… I want people to be like, ‘Oh, he’s fresh out with his music for it to be this good.’”

32. “Be humble, but never underestimate your own abilities.”

33. “Anytime odds get stacked up against me, I feel like it’s in me to beat it” – Damian Lillard

34. “Injuries are a part of the game. Every athlete knows that.”

35. “Mental toughness is just as important as physical toughness.”

36. “You have to go win the game, (The Nets) made a push, and they took the lead. At that point, everything is out the window. Players gotta go win it; players gotta play. And we did that. ” ―Damian Lillard

37. “When you listen to my music, you’re going to know that you’re getting the real me, my real thoughts and feelings… I want people to be like, ‘Oh, he’s fresh out with his music for it to be this good. ’” ― Damian Lillard

38. “Everybody picked their effort up and played with more energy in the second half, had we done that in the first half, it probably would have been a different result. ” ― Damian Lillard

39. “Best quotes by Damian Lillard With Biggie, I thought his flow and his swag was better than Tupac’s, but I thought Tupac’s passion and ability to relate to the average person was better than Biggie, and I thought Nas was kind of like both, with a lot substance going but a lot of swag.”

40. “Most parents are able to be with their kid every day. Every day of their life, their parents have an opportunity to be with them, and we don't have that luxury as professional athletes. That's the hardest thing.”

41. “I’m loyal to Portland. I want to play my whole career here, but at any moment, they can decide we want somebody else. ” ― Damian Lillard

42. “Injuries are a part of the game. Every athlete knows that.” – Damian Lillard

43. “You can’t control what everyone else does, but you can control your own attitude and effort.”

44. “If I get away from what got me here, I’m doing my family and everybody else around me a disservice. So, I make sure that I stay true to that first and the more I do that, things just keep coming.” – Damian Lillard

45. “For me it's just amazing that I grew up watching Tim Duncan and KG and Kobe and Paul Pierce, Allen Iverson and all those guys and now it's like, 'Man, I can't believe they actually got old.'

46. “A lot of people kind of… conform. I don’t want it to sound like I’m saying don’t care about championships. That’s not my point. But what I’m saying is a lot of people give in to the pressure of, ‘I didn’t have this; I didn’t have rings. ’” ― Damian Lillard

47. “Everybody picked their effort up and played with more energy in the second half, had we done that in the first half, it probably would have been a different result.”

48. “I think over the course of the series, at least after Game 1, I just haven’t seen the ball go in consistently enough, my job is to stay aggressive, keep doing what I do, and tonight, shots fell. ” ― Damian Lillard

49. “I always talk about, like, with end-of-game situations, making and missing big shots, I know I can shoulder that. I can live with having the success of the playoffs and having a huge failure. I know I can deal with it.”

50. “I feel like when it comes to rap—like, real rap music—and knowing the pioneers of rap, I feel like there’s no competition for me in the NBA. Other guys can rap, but they’re not as invested or as deep into actual music as I am and always have been. I think that might be what the difference is. I’m more wanting to be an artist. ” ― Damian Lillard

51. “For me it’s just amazing that I grew up watching Tim Duncan and KG and Kobe and Paul Pierce, Allen Iverson and all those guys and now it’s like, ‘Man, I can’t believe they actually got old.’ It’s like they actually walked away. It’s crazy to think about, but the game has to keep moving.”

52. “I’ve never had issues with stardom. ” ― Damian Lillard

53. “I like '1989', the whole album. 'Welcome to New York,' 'Blank Space,' 'Bad Blood' – all of it!”

54. “I know what it’s like to be unknown and you know, not have the lights on you, and to want to be seen, and want a scholarship to a big school and things like that. I was behind the scenes doing the work. So, I don’t forget those steps that it took for me to get here.” – Damian Lillard

55. “I’m here to be a leader and show younger people the way.”

56. “I thought his flow and his swag was better than Tupac’s, but I thought Tupac’s passion and ability to relate to the average person was better than Biggie, and I thought Nas was kind of like both, with a lot substance going but a lot of swag. ” ― Damian Lillard

57. “I always try to lead by example, both on and off the court.”

58. “Playing the game I have learned the meaning of humility. It has given me an understanding of futility of the human effort.”

59. “Don’t get too high on the highs or too low on the lows.”

60. “The sun shines brighter after it rains. The feeling of joy is a blessing after months of pain.” – Damian Lillard

61. “I think the greatest legacy of the 1960s was the general feeling that not only can you fight the powers that be, but you can win.”

62. “I want to see things work out for everybody… so it’s a burden I place on myself to make sure that we are performing at a certain level, that we get certain things done. ” ― Damian Lillard

63. “Stay hungry, stay humble.”

64. “I had to do my work behind the scenes, like you did, I had to earn my way. And I didn’t know that I was going to ever get the credit for it or ever get the results for it.” – Damian Lillard

65. “You have to go win the game, (The Nets) made a push, and they took the lead. At that point, everything is out the window. Players gotta go win it; players gotta play. And we did that.”

66. “Checking every box. That’s what gives you the chance to get the results you want and to reach success. You do the work, you get the results.” – Damian Lillard

67. “When I am riding high and when I do get smoking hot and when I get going people are going to look at it and be like, ‘We remember when you were struggling and you didn’t shy away from it.’ I think it will be more respect for the success when they see how you handle failure and how you handle struggle.” – Damian Lillard

68. “I know, personally, people said a lot about what kind of defender I was. So I wanted to get better at it.”

69. “Anything that you do in life where you just get a lot of repetition and you work at it constantly you’ll naturally improve at it.” – Damian Lillard

70. “It’s a challenge just making sure that we represent our people the right way and not getting too caught up in ourselves, but also understanding that you’re not going to always be able to be perfect or do what everybody wants you to do. That goes for your family, too.” – Damian Lillard

71. “Everyone knew what you meant,” one Twitter user wrote. “You’re good, my dude. People always gotta nitpick.”

72. “Tried to get a little bit of space. … Andre Iguodala grabbed my arm and I lost the ball a bit, there was a lot of contact, but obviously the ref is not going to decide the game or jump in at that point. So… good defensive play.”

73. “It is impressive and I think it impressive for any team, to go out on the road and to win on someone else’s floor is tough. Anything can go wrong on the road. We have grown so much. ” ― Damian Lillard

74. “I think over the course of the series, at least after Game 1, I just haven’t seen the ball go in consistently enough, my job is to stay aggressive, keep doing what I do, and tonight, shots fell.”

75. “I always enjoy when CJ gets rolling because it’s not just the fact that he’s doing it for our team; it’s the way it looks. Smooth. Crossovers. Crafty. Tough shots. ” ― Damian Lillard

76. “Who you choose to go through this life with is probably the most important decision you make.” – Damian Lillard

77. “All of those things that we did to give ourselves a chance to win were huge, and my part in it, I think, was probably my most important performance.”

78. “You don’t become great overnight. It takes consistent hard work and dedication.”

79. “Pressure, nah, this is just playing ball. Pressure is the homeless man, who doesn’t know where his next meal is coming from. Pressure is the single mom, who is trying to scuffle and pay her rent.”

80. “A vision to gift the word from a room to a packed stadium. They laughed at black face til a crown on his black cranium.” – Damian Lillard

81. “Our country is going to have its battles, it’s been that way from the jump, but I know what I’m representing when I put that jersey on and I go out there and compete.” – Damian Lillard

82. “All of those things that we did to give ourselves a chance to win were huge, and my part in it, I think, was probably my most important performance. ” ― Damian Lillard

83. “I love music. In a lot of my downtime, I spend time listening to other people’s music or other people’s rhymes and writing my own. ” ― Damian Lillard

84. “We get paid a lot of money to play a game. Don’t get me wrong ― there are challenges. But to call it pressure is almost an insult to regular people. ” ― Damian Lillard

85. “I started rapping towards the end of middle school. In high school, with a lot of my friends, we would make beats and just start rapping—beating on the wall, beating on the table and freestyling. ” ― Damian Lillard

86. “I’ve got some regrets. But my past won’t keep me from my best.” – Damian Lillard

87. “That’s part of what makes it special, I’m from here, I could walk home from here if I wanted to, that tells you how close it is. ” ― Damian Lillard

88. “If your dreams don't match your actions, you can either change your dreams or change your actions.”

89. “The harder you work, the luckier you get.”

90. “Sometimes you have to take risks in order to achieve your goals.”

91. “You got to be stable and strong mentally. You got to be sturdy. You got to have something that you can stand on because it gets tough.” – Damian Lillard

92. “Even if the growth is slow, it’s still growth.” – Damian Lillard

93. “We all come from different places and have different experiences, but one thing I know we can offer each other is respect.” – Damian Lillard

94. “I grew up a Warriors fan.” – Damian Lillard

95. “Any successful person will tell you that no one does it alone.” – Damian Lillard

96. “True love is humble, thereby is it known; Girded for service, seeking not its own; Vaunts not itself, but speaks in self-dispraise.”

97. “I read, I watch a lot of movies, I’m constantly living, so I’m constantly having more to say. ” ― Damian Lillard

98. “We know how it feels to win again, now we can just kind of move on from that and stay focused on this series. ” ― Damian Lillard

99. “I’m humble because I’m blessed. I could have been someone else and someone struggling could have been me.” – Damian Lillard

100. “I like ‘1989,’ the whole album. ‘Welcome to New York,’ ‘Blank Space. ’ ‘Bad Blood’ – all of it!” ― Damian Lillard

101. “Being a leader means putting the team first and making sacrifices for the greater good.”

102. “Don’t be afraid to really stand on what you believe in your heart and feel like you have got to fall into what everybody else is doing. Just be comfortable with who you are and how you feel about things.” – Damian Lillard

103. “Some shots, for me, are a good shot even if it’s forced. The way it might look to a person watching, they might look at it like, ‘That’s a tough shot. ’ But for me, it’s not a tough decision. I’m committed to those shots, and I spend time working on them. ” ― Damian Lillard

104. “I always look at struggles as an opportunity to show my true character.” – Damian Lillard

105. “Sometimes, it’s just your turn to go through hard times. ” ― Damian Lillard

106. “I started rapping towards the end of middle school. In high school, with a lot of my friends, we would make beats and just start rapping – beating on the wall, beating on the table and freestyling.”

107. “I’m loyal to Portland. I want to play my whole career here, but at any moment, they can decide we want somebody else.”

108. “Thats part of what makes it special, Im from here, i could walk home from here if I wanted to, that tells you how close it is.”

109. “No matter how difficult the situation, there’s always a way to overcome it.” ZONNESTRAAL QUOTE

110. “We get paid a lot of money to play a game. Don’t get me wrong ― there are challenges. But to call it pressure is almost an insult to regular people.”

111. “You have to be willing to put in the work if you want to achieve greatness.”

112. “I love music. In a lot of my downtime, I spend time listening to other people's music or other people's rhymes and writing my own.”

113. “Nothing has ever been accomplished in any walk of life without enthusiasm, without motivation, and without perseverance.”

114. “Legacy is not what we leave behind, it’s who we inspire along the way.”

115. “With Biggie, I thought his flow and his swag was better than Tupac’s, but I thought Tupac’s passion and ability to relate to the average person was better than Biggie, and I thought Nas was kind of like both, with a lot of substance going but a lot of swag.”

116. “You're a trivial part in a trivia game. Now what's your aim? A presidential campaign? Like Ross Perot? He lost it though... But he got a billion in tha bank fo' sho'!”

117. “training your body and your mind as well. So when those moments come, your belief in what you worked on is so high, you expect to be successful.” – Damian Lillard

118. “Keep walking the walk.” – Damian Lillard

119. “I ain’t scared to come up short. I think that’s a real big part of my success. I say what I really think, I say what I feel, and I say it knowing that I can deal with it not going my way and knowing that I stand on the real. I go into every battle with that type of mentality.” – Damian Lillard

120. “Don’t chase success, chase excellence and success will follow.”

121. “Life gets better when you learn to appreciate all that you have.” – Damian Lillard

122. “I want to see things work out for everybody so it's a burden I place on myself to make sure that we are performing at a certain level, that we get certain things done.”

123. “I just want to keep working hard, stay humble, and keep trying to win games.”

124. “It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, it’s about the size of the fight in the dog.”

125. “I want to have hit records, but I’m not searching to say, ‘All right, I need this to be in the club. I need this, that.’ I’m just making quality music.”

126. “If you want to look good in front of thousands, you have to outwork thousands in front of nobody.” – Damian Lillard

127. “I can handle failure. I don’t have shame about what could happen or what somebody might say or anything like that. But I expect to come out on top.” – Damian Lillard

128. “We get paid a lot of money to play a game,” he went on. “Don’t get me wrong ― there are challenges. But to call it pressure is almost an insult to regular people.”

129. “We have to look in the mirror and say ‘I have to be better’ because whatever it is we’re doing is not working and it’s not giving us the shot to compete on the level that we want to compete on.”

130. “Visionary means being able to see a place for something that can be impactful before it’s right in front of you.”

131. “To be a great leader you must learn to be a great servant.” – Damian Lillard

132. “When you’re going through something and s— is kind of hitting the fan and you’re struggling and everybody’s got something to say and to me the real ones, they can keep on trucking and keep on going and still find a way to get the job done. And, me personally, I love when those opportunities present themselves.” – Damian Lillard

133. “Its basically a game where only one team is going to make it out, its your last opportunity to play, so facing elimination is what it is to me, and thats going to be my approach, just like it was tonight. The only thing is that its going to be on the road. Its for our season. All the marbles.”

134. “I just want to keep working hard, stay humble, and keep trying to win games. ” ― Damian Lillard

135. “Success is a journey, not a destination.”

136. “I read, I watch a lot of movies, I’m constantly living, so I’m constantly having more to say.”

137. “Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living.”

138. “A lot of people kind of conform. I don't want it to sound like I'm saying I don't care about championships. That's not my point.

139. “I never want to look back and wonder ‘what if?'”

140. “Stay focused on your goals, and don’t let anyone distract you.” “Believe in yourself, even when no one else does.”

141. “Tried to get a little bit of space. … Andre Iguodala grabbed my arm and I lost the ball a bit, there was a lot of contact, but obviously, the ref is not going to decide the game or jump in at that point. So… good defensive play. ” ― Damian Lillard

142. “When I get done playing basketball, I’m definitely not going to be a rapper. I’m not going to be an old person who is focused on being a rapper. ” ― Damian Lillard

143. “All children need their fathers, but boys especially need fathers to teach them how to be men.”

144. “I gained a lot of fans because of who I was off the court. People respected me as a person before they did as an athlete.” – Damian Lillard

145. “I’ve never had issues with stardom.” – Damian Lillard

146. “There’s no such thing as a self-made man. We all need support and guidance along the way.”

147. “I’ve always just depended on my foundation, which is my work ethic and my trust and belief in myself. It’s guided me to where I am now.” – Damian Lillard

148. “It is impressive and I think it impressive for any team, to go out on the road and to win on someone else’s floor is tough. Anything can go wrong on the road. We have grown so much. Over the last month or so we have really committed ourselves to every little thing that will allow us to win games. We have been over dedicated to these things and that is why we are winning games. After Lillard attacked the Knicks defense, it was McCollum’s turn in the third. McCollum scored 13 of his 25 points in the third quarter and made three key plays late in the quarter to help Portland take an 85-72 lead into the fourth.”

149. “Pressure, nah, this is just playing ball. Pressure is the homeless man, who doesn’t know where his next meal is coming from. Pressure is the single mom, who is trying to scuffle and pay her rent. ” ― Damian Lillard

150. “Put some respect on my f*cking name!”

151. “I’m rapping, I’m hooping, I’m on a max-contract, I got a big shoe deal. Everything is good now. So of course, the support is going to be there, the love is going to be there, but what’s going to happen when it changes or when I’m on the back-end of my career or when I ain’t on TV all the time?” ― Damian Lillard

152. “It’s nothing for us to be ashamed of, i thought we played a really good game. I don’t think the score said the way the game went.”

153. “For me it’s just amazing that I grew up watching Tim Duncan and KG and Kobe and Paul Pierce, Allen Iverson and all those guys and now it’s like, ‘Man, I can’t believe they actually got old. ’ It’s like they actually walked away. It’s crazy to think about, but the game has to keep moving. ” ― Damian Lillard

154. “Sometimes, it’s just your turn to go through hard times.” – Damian Lillard

155. “Sometimes, it’s just your turn to go through hard times.”

156. “I focus on finding solutions and that’s without doing nothing crazy to search for a solution.” – Damian Lillard

157. “Adversity builds character.”

158. “It’s basically a game where only one team is going to make it out, it’s your last opportunity to play, so facing elimination is what it is to me, and that’s going to be my approach, just like it was tonight. The only thing is that it’s going to be on the road. It’s for our season. All the marbles. ” ― Damian Lillard

159. “I like ‘1989,’ the whole album. ‘Welcome to New York,’ ‘Blank Space.’ ‘Bad Blood’ – all of it!”

160. “God is not looking for extraordinary characters as His instruments, but He is looking for humble instruments through whom He can be honored throughout the ages.”

161. “But I will say this: In my humble opinion, knowing nothing about it, I do believe that they have remote viewers working on where Osama Bin Laden is. I absolutely, 100%, convinced of that.”

162. “Obviously I loved Ed. One of my best friends in the league, favorite teammates I’ve played with. That’s a loss for our team. ” ― Damian Lillard

163. “I don’t want him to hurt himself. I don’t want him to choke on something. You’re just so concerned for them, and it hurts you. It’s so alarming, man. I feel it for the people around me, but it’s deeper for my son. Only a parent would understand. ” ― Damian Lillard

164. “How long should I stay dedicated? How long til opportunity meet preparation?”

165. “I had been overlooked in high school and I got overlooked even in college at Weber State. My main thing was to outwork everybody because I knew that that would be my way to get people’s attention by constantly getting better and putting that work in.” – Damian Lillard

166. “The peace I have found through many struggles and shortcomings is truly priceless.” – Damian Lillard

167. “I’m here to be a leader and show younger people the way.” – Damian Lillard

168. “Anytime odds get stacked up against me, I feel like it's in me to beat it”

169. “You’ve got to keep the belief and keep doing the things that’s going to give you a chance to come out of it and be successful.” – Damian Lillard

170. “I always talk about, like, with end-of-game situations, making and missing big shots, I know I can shoulder that. I can live with having the success of the playoffs and having a huge failure. I know I can deal with it. ” ― Damian Lillard

171. “I’m vegan now. I’ve been vegan for a month. Wanting to eat cleaner. Also, I was trying to play lighter this year, be easier on my joints and on my feet. Getting older and you don’t want to let that age sneak up on you where you just get in the habit of eating whatever you want to eat because I know I’m gonna burn it off when it’s time to play. So just creating better habits. I feel much better. I thought it was all hype. I thought people just said it just because it was a healthier food but I can feel it. I can definitely feel it. ” ― Damian Lillard

172. “If you want to look good in front of thousands, you have to out work thousands in front of nobody.”

173. “This is my last Commonwealth Games. Five CWG and nine medals, it is enough for me.”

174. “I’m rapping, I’m hooping, I’m on a max-contract, I got a big shoe deal. Everything is good now. So of course, the support is going to be there, the love is going to be there, but what’s going to happen when it changes or when I’m on the back-end of my career or when I ain’t on TV all the time?”

175. “Injuries are a part of the game. Every athlete knows that. ” ― Damian Lillard

176. “I’m straight up with y’all. I’m not unhappy. I love where I live, I love the organization, I love our coaching staff, I love who I am. ” ― Damian Lillard

177. “Pressure, nah. Fam, this is just playing ball. Pressure is the homeless man, who doesn’t know where his next meal is coming from. Pressure is the single mom, who is trying to scuffle and pay her rent. We get paid a lot of money to play a game. Don’t get me wrong — there are challenges. But to call it pressure is almost an insult to regular people.” – Damian Lillard

178. “If your dreams don’t match your actions, you can either change your dreams or change your actions. ” ― Damian Lillard

179. “The World Series is played in my doubtless too-nostalgic imagination in some kind of autumn afternoon light, and seeing it exclusively in the bitter chill of midnight breaks the spell of even the best of games.”

180. “We know how it feels to win again, now we can just kind of move on from that and stay focused on this series.”