Damian Lillard

Lillard grew up in Oakland, California, with his parents Gina Johnson and Houston Lillard Sr. His brother Houston played quarterback in the Indoor Football League, and his sister LaNae played high school basketball. In the 2020-21 NBA season, he played alongside his cousin Keljin Blevins on the Trail Blazers. Lillard wears jersey number 0 to represent the letter 'O', symbolizing his journey through Oakland, Ogden, and Oregon. A Christian, he has scripture from Psalm 37 tattooed on his left arm.

In March 2018, Lillard welcomed his first child, Damian Jr. He and his partner Kay'La Hanson had twins, a daughter named Kali and a son named Kalii, in January 2021. The couple married in September 2021 and divorced by 2024.

Outside of athletics, Lillard established the RESPECT Program to encourage high school graduation rates in the Portland area and revived the community Never Worry Picnic in East Oakland. In 2020, he partnered with Brian Sanders to become a co-owner of Damian Lillard Toyota in McMinnville, Oregon. He has maintained long-term endorsement partnerships, including a signature sneaker line with Adidas, and voiced the character Chronos in the 2021 film Space Jam: A New Legacy.

Lillard played high school basketball at Arroyo High School and St. Joseph Notre Dame before transferring to Oakland High School, where he averaged 22.4 points per game as a senior. Lightly recruited nationally, he accepted a scholarship offer from head coach Randy Rahe to play at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.

During his time with the Weber State Wildcats, Lillard earned Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2009 and went on to win two Big Sky Player of the Year awards in 2010 and 2012. After a foot injury cut his 2010-11 campaign short and led to a medical redshirt, he returned in 2011-12 to average 24.5 points per game and gain third-team All-American recognition. He concluded his collegiate career as the second-leading scorer in Weber State history with 1,934 points before declaring for the NBA draft. He later completed his bachelor's degree in professional sales from Weber State in May 2015.

Drafted sixth overall by Portland in 2012, Lillard made an immediate impact, recording 23 points and 11 assists in his debut against the Los Angeles Lakers. He started all 82 games, set a then-rookie record with 185 three-pointers, and became a unanimous selection for the 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

Over 11 seasons in Portland, Lillard developed into the franchise cornerstone alongside backcourt partner CJ McCollum. He produced iconic playoff moments, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer in Game 6 of the 2014 first round against the Houston Rockets and a 37-foot series-clinching buzzer-beater against the Oklahoma City Thunder to cap a 50-point game in 2019. That run propelled Portland to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.

Lillard earned multiple All-NBA selections, including First Team honors in 2018. During the 2022-23 campaign, he surpassed Clyde Drexler to become the Trail Blazers' all-time leading scorer and posted a franchise-record 71-point game against Houston. In international competition, he helped lead the United States men's national basketball team to a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

In September 2023, Lillard was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in a multi-team deal, partnering with forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. He debuted with a 39-point performance against Philadelphia, set a Bucks playoff half record with 35 points against the Indiana Pacers, and won the 2024 NBA Cup with Milwaukee. During the 2024 All-Star Weekend, he won both the Three-Point Contest and the All-Star Game MVP award.

His second season in Milwaukee was disrupted by medical complications, including a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis in March 2025 and a torn Achilles tendon suffered during the 2025 playoffs. The Bucks waived him in July 2025, after which he signed a three-year contract to return to the Trail Blazers. In February 2026, he captured his third NBA Three-Point Contest title, matching the league record shared by Larry Bird and Craig Hodges.

Performing under the stage name Dame D.O.L.L.A., which stands for Different On Levels the Lord Allows, Lillard began releasing music after founding the social media movement Four Bar Friday. He established his own record label, Front Page Music, releasing his debut studio album The Letter O in October 2016.

He expanded his discography with the albums Confirmed in 2017, Big D.O.L.L.A. in 2019, and Different on Levels the Lord Allowed in 2021. His musical projects have featured prominent artists including Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Mozzy, Jeremih, and Raphael Saadiq, along with his single 'Kobe' featured on the soundtrack for NBA 2K21.