Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard’s return to the franchise has been cause for celebration across Rip City this week, particularly at the Beaverton Hoop YMCA. That’s where the nine-time NBA All-Star is currently hosting his annual Damian Lillard Basketball Camp for over 380 boys and girls.
“A lot of them, as soon as I walked in yesterday, they all walked up and were like, ‘Man, you’re back! You’re back!’” Lillard told media on Wednesday morning at The Hoop.
The camp for kids aged 6 to 16 began
on Tuesday and runs through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. It gives campers a chance to improve their basketball fundamentals while meeting the franchise star. Lillard held the event for the first time in the summer of 2014, just a few months after he vanquished the Houston Rockets from the NBA Playoffs with that famous buzzer-beater. This summer’s camp, the event’s 12th year, now comes just days after Lillard’s storied return to the franchise at 35, following two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks.
It’s been a whirlwind week for Lillard. He officially signed with the Blazers on Saturday. He was at the podium for a 30-minute re-introductory press conference on Monday night. Then Tuesday morning, he was on the courts at The Hoop to kick off the four-day event.
“I feel like by the time I got home the last three or four days, it’s almost time to go to bed,” Lillard said. “I gotta put my kids down, eat, take a shower, and then I get in my bed and I want to watch TV or something, but I just end up sleeping. And the next day is here, and I gotta get going again. So I haven’t really even had the time to sit back and even take in everything that’s taken place.”
On Wednesday morning, the six courts at the facility were crowded with kids participating in shooting and dribbling drills — many of them wearing Lillard jerseys. A group of coaches were stationed at each court, encouraging campers and modeling good technique. Lillard was also present in the mix, walking around the gym with his 4-year-old son Kalii in tow. This time around, however, Lillard has had to take more of a backseat during on-court drills and demonstrations as he recovers from the Achilles tear he suffered in April.
While his on-court mobility is more limited this year, Lillard’s impact comes through to the campers in other ways. Once again, he worked to make the camp accessible for different kids, regardless of financial means. Lillard said they give out a lot of camp scholarships through the Black Parent Initiative, SEI, his RESPECT program and other routes.
“I just might know somebody that knows somebody that wants their kid to come to camp,” Lillard said. “I might have at least 20 kids where I’m like, ‘Just bring ‘em, and when they check in, I’ll be out in the back, and I’ll just get ‘em on the list and get ‘em on the team.’”
Lillard said the big question on campers’ minds last year was whether he’d be coming back to the Blazers. Just as Lillard admitted at Monday’s press conference, he said Tuesday he didn’t expect to return just one year later. The unique circumstances have made this summer’s camp more meaningful for him, too, not just the kids.
“It makes it special just because of everything that’s taken place over the last week,” he said. “ ... You can just feel the energy. People are excited and more than anything, just happy to have me back here.”
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