Dropping Dimes and Dollars: Damian Lillard’s Winning Plays Beyond the NBA

The seven-time NBA All-Star’s 11-year relationship with the Portland Trail Blazers came to an end on Wednesday with his blockbuster trade to the Milwaukee Bucks.

After a deal involving the Phoenix Suns was reached, the 33-year-old will now play alongside players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, according to ESPN.

Lillard has also never stopped working for his off-court goals, even while he pursues success on the court.

Lillard has a long-standing relationship with Adidas and is an avid sneakerhead.

Due to the great success of his shoe line, he inked a new, possibly ten-year contract with the company in April 2023.

According to ESPN, Lillard could potentially make up to $100 million from his new contract with Adidas.

Lillard also co-founded Move, a company that sells insoles for shoes, in 2021.

He stated that he “co-founded @moveinsoles to help revolutionize the foot care industry” in an Instagram post.

This ambition resulted from his undergraduate experience being plagued by foot pаin and discomfort.

“When I returned from college after breаking my foot, they wаnted to offer me some kind of shoe support. “They said, ‘You have to wear these orthotics,’ but I found them too rigid and painful for my feet,” Lillard stated to Footwear News in 2022.

“I have always needed that support; I have just never been able to find something that has been effective. Since then, I have been apprehensive about them.

“I also suffered from excruciating plantar fasciitis for two years, but I was unable to find an orthotic or any kind of insole that would provide relief and make me feel like I did not have a big block in my shoe.”

Towards the end of 2022, Lillard invested in the business Kicks Crew, demonstrating his deep passion for sneakers.

According to Forbes, they are an online retailer of streetwear and shoes with headquarters in New York and Hong Kong.

“Building that community of people who respect and value what I do and how I do it has been the foundation of my career,” Lillard stated.

“At Kicks Crew, my responsibility is to contribute to the establishment of this kind of community and to see it through to completion.”

However, Lillard’s career as a rapper has to be his most well-known endeavor outside of basketball.

Under the stage nаme DаME D.O.L.L.A., he made his debut in 2015 with the publication of his debut single, and a year later, the album The Letter O.

He later worked with musicians like Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg.

August 2023 saw the release of Lillard’s most recent album, which includes songs by Jordin Sparks and Ty Dolla $ign.