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OGDEN — Damian Lillard was just a teenager from Oakland when he first arrived at Weber State and set foot on the hardwood at the Dee Events Center in 2008.
And then, fate intervened.
Over the course of the next 11 years, Lillard’s life would transform into something else entirely on and off the court, as the former Wildcat went on to become a two-time Big Sky MVP, NBA lottery pick, Rookie-of-the-Year winner, All-Star, college graduate, commercial actor and, perhaps most relevantly, the foundation of the Weber State basketball program.
On Thursday, Lillard, who was enjoying some rare time off during the season before the Trail Blazers resume play against the Miami Heat on February 5, returned to Ogden and sat courtside for Weber State’s 76-75 loss to Portland State.
And while it was not Lillard’s first time back at his old campus — he has visited for several events in the past and comes back regularly during the summer — his return still provided him with an opportunity to reflect on his time in Ogden.
In his words, it was good to be home.
“It feels good to be a part of the foundation of this program and what it’s become and to be able to come back and witness it,” said Lillard, who joked “a lot of stuff has been upgraded since I left.”
Lillard averaged 18.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals during his three-and-a-half seasons as a Wildcat, leading the team to a 72-32 record and two Big Sky championships from 2008 to 2012. He left Weber State as the all-time leader in 3-pointers made, free throws made and free throw percentage, while ranking second in career assists.
Since then he has gone on to average 23.4 points, 6.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds and one steal per game during his seven seasons in the NBA, all with Portland. This season, Lillard is scoring 26.4 points per game on a career-best 45 percent from the floor, in addition to converting over 90 percent of his free throws.
Consequently, Lillard, who is now 28 years old, was announced as an All-Star selection earlier on Thursday. The game, scheduled for February 17 in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the Spectrum Center, will be the fourth of Lillard's young career.
“It’s always an honor to be amongst that group,” he said when asked about the selection. “Only the best of the best get to be apart of All-Star weekend, so I’m always thankful to be one of the guys invited there.”
But, he added: “Over my seven years, I’ve been fortunate enough to experience a lot of the individual things, so I’ve kind of reached a point where it wouldn’t be the end of the day if it didn’t work or if I wasn’t selected. So I’m happy it did work out, to know that your hard work is being rewarded, you know, that you’re getting the results you’re looking for. It’s always an honor and a pleasure.”
The news comes on the heels of Wednesday’s game between the Trail Blazers and Jazz, in which Lillard and Portland's backcourt running mate C.J. McCollum torched Utah for a combined 76 points on 24-of-38 shooting in a 132-105 victory at the Moda Center. Lillard also supplied 11 assists and eight rebounds in the win, just two shy of what would have given him his first career triple-double.
But despite the beat down, Lillard was complementary of his division rival.
“It’s always tough playing against them,” he said. “They’re always one of the top defensive teams in the league. They come and try to make my life hard, so it’s always a tough game."
Lillard also spoke of the strong bond he has with Weber State head coach Randy Rahe, who has attended games at Vivint Arena when Portland comes to town. The two have remained close over the years, as Rahe was one of a handful of coaches to recruit the overlooked Lillard out of high school and proved instrumental in helping Lillard get to where he is today.
“You know, I’ve got a lot of family and coach Rahe is right along with the rest of my family. I got my mom, my dad, my uncles, my aunties, my cousins, my grandparents, coach Rahe, coach Duft. You know, they all go right in that group,” Lillard said. “We speak regularly. If I’m a little bit upset about something, something on my mind, I know I can reach out to both of them (Rahe and Duft).
Lillard said it started when he was a student at Weber State and the two coaches took him in and "cared about my life and who I was as a person, more so than just what I could do for them as a basketball player.
"I appreciated that and my family did as well," he added. "The relationship is strong still to this day. Having him at that Jazz game, it was like how I would feel if one of family members was out there.”
Rahe echoed that same family sentiment.
“Damian’s family,” he said. “We’re very close. He’s a part of our family, he always will be. He’s a loyal guy. ... He’s always around to help support us as much as he can, no matter what he does. That’ll never change with him.”
To that end, Lillard said he’s enjoying his newfound role as a program ambassador, as it were, in particular being able to act as a mentor for the team.
“I come back in the summers and sometimes I’ll talk to the whole team,” Lillard said. “You know, they’ll ask me questions and we’ll talk about my experience here, what I think will help make them successful as a team, playing under coach Rahe. I know what he expects, what type of program that he runs.”
Lillard said he’s made an effort to develop a relationship with each of Rahe’s point guards over the years, including his current one, Jerrick Harding.
“Usually, whoever the point guard is, I just try to get in their ear,” Lillard said. “I want to see where their head is, see how I could help them. It was that way when I left. I grew up with Dev (Davion) Berry, so I was always talking to Dev when he was here. Jeremy Senglin, me and him spoke a lot while he was here. And now Jerrick, you know, we text, go back and forth. I’m in his ear, too. So that’s just kind of what it is. That’s kind of the role that I play for the program.”
As for what he becomes and where he goes from here, only time will tell. Follow Dillon on Twitter @dillondanderson.
