Damian Lillard will go down in history as one of the most cold-blooded clutch shooters the NBA has ever seen. He has hit many game-winners or daggers, but rarely would you see him not look calm and collected before and after sinking those shots.
However, there was a time when Lillard celebrated like crazy after drilling a game-winning 3-pointer. What happened right after helped teach him how to keep his presence of mind during crunch time.
"I remember in the eighth grade I had a game-winning shot," Dame said in an interview with China Global Television Now in 2018 . "I think we were down by two. I hit a three-pointer with one second left, and I took my jersey off and started celebrating. It was one second left, and I got a tech, and the other team got two free throws."
"We ended up losing the game by one, and that was the worst thing that could ever happen," the guard said.
Dame on keeping his cool
Imagine being 13 or 14 and living out your dream of getting a 3-pointer to fall in the closing seconds for the win. That's what Lillard probably experienced at the time, so his way of celebrating the feat was definitely understandable.
Unfortunately, the referee/s decided that taking the uniform off was excessive. On the other hand, while a young Dame lost that contest, he learned a lesson that has evidently remained with him to this day, saying, "I think it just made me more calm in those situations, and it just going to be what it's going to be."
The NBA world has witnessed the eight-time All-Star break the hearts of opponents and their fans and add insult to injury by reacting nonchalantly.
Who can forget when he hit a step-back 37-foot buzzer-beater in Paul George's face to eliminate the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2019 playoffs? Lillard didn't remove his jersey afterward. Instead, he waved off his rivals and gave the sports world an iconic meme .
Related: Patrick Beverley talks about his full circle moment with Michael Jordan: "His boat a little bigger than mine, but I came on a boat too"
Lillard has remained clutch
At 34, the Oakland, Calif. native has continued to prove that he is still one of the greatest in crunch time.
In the 2023-24 campaign, the Milwaukee Bucks star recorded 139 points in the clutch, defined by the NBA as the last five minutes of a contest when the scores are within five points. Only DeMar DeRozan and Stephen Curry had more.
Lillard also showed last season that he can still sink game-winners effortlessly, hitting a 3-pointer to beat the clock and lift Milwaukee to a one-point victory against the Sacramento Kings. After the game, he reminded Bucks fans , "That's what I'm here for."
Not much went right for the squad in the 2023-24 season. But with "Dame Time" in the house, the Bucks faithful have plenty of reasons to be excited, particularly when contests are on the line.
Related: Gilbert Arenas says everyone was rooting against Team USA because of LeBron James: "This is why you are not the GOAT even if their GOAT wasn't sh** at this age"
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