Last postseason, Damian Lillard suffered an Achilles injury while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks. Less than 10 months later, he is again wearing a Portland Trail Blazers uniform and winning his third 3-point contest in the last four years. Welcome to the twilight zone.
The star point guard, who hasn't played a game this season and likely won't, overcame long layoffs and fierce competitors like Devin Booker and rookie Kon Knuppel to reclaim his throne during NBA All-Star Weekend. He joined Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players in NBA history to win the championship three times. Booker was poised to snatch the trophy, but Lillard's 30-point performance in the final round came up short.
Although it's been a while since the seven-time All-NBA selection took an official 3-pointer, fans got a reminder that it's still really dam time.
Damian Lillard surprised people
@JDCowboys2 commented, "He's seriously one of the greatest players to ever do it, he won the three-point contest with half an Achilles." @rozaydaghost commented, "This guy has really been through a lot and is almost in tears." “w“A wonderful chapter is added to his story.”
"From Achilles tear to 3x 3PT champion in just one year?" @loftymimi surprised. "The Dame is created differently. Pure inspiration." While many fans were surprised by Lillard's still-smooth shooting stroke, others were equally surprised by the NBA's decision to allow him to compete in the All-Star Weekend staple despite missing the entire campaign. Someone clearly lost the chance to enter the 3-point contest due to the 35-year-old's involvement.
@YoungSixtus expressed, "Crazy talent but let's be real - ranking a guy who played 0 games compared to active shooters this season feels like pure NBA entertainment marketing." "Congratulations Dame."
“This is a blatant insult to the rest of the league,” declared @coldog05. "Damian Lillard is dominating a skills competition here while doing virtually nothing else all season. Crazy."
Whether or not fans believe Lillard should have competed, he deserves ample praise for outshining everyone else at less than full strength. History will remember this event for the skill and tenacity of the nine-time All-Star, and will likely also forget the lack of NBA minutes he logged this season.
Perhaps more than anything, this surprising performance gives Blazers fans a big reason to look forward to next season.
