Black Millionaires: Damian Lillard

What is Damian Lillard's Net Worth 

Damian Lillard is an American professional basketball player with the Portland Trail Blazers where he is currently a point guard. In 2013, Lillard was named Rookie of the year, and by 2014 he signed a four-year contract with the Portland Trail Blazers at $3.202 million per year. In 2019 he signed a contract extension which placed him on the list of highest-paid NBA players in history, with an average annual pay of $40 million within the 2024-2025 season.

Early life and education

Damian Lamonte Ollie Lillard was born on July 15, 1990, in Oakland, California. Lillard spent his childhood in Oakland and attended high school there as well. In his sophomore year, Lillard was transferred to St Joseph Notre Dame High School Alameda, California; but by the end of the year, he transferred schools again as a result of a lack of playing time. At Oakland High School, Lillard played for the team under coach Orlando Watkins.

Lillard was First Team All-League in both his junior and senior years. As a junior, he averaged 19.4 points, and as a senior he averaged 22.4 points with 5.2 assists per game, playing with the Oakland Oakers. Even though he had potentials, Lillard was not heavily recruited out of high school, he was rated as a two-star prospect by Rivals.com. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at Weber State University, where he also played basketball for the school team. His basketball career kicked off while at Weber.

Early Career

Lillard accepted a scholarship offer to play for Weber State. As a freshman at Weber State University, Lillard only averaged 11.5 points. He was also named the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year and first-team All-Big Sky. By his second year, he averaged 19.9 points per game, also leading the Wildcats to the Big Sky Conference championship. Soon enough, Lillard averaged 24.5 points and topped the scoring board throughout most of the year (2010-11 season), but still finished second to Reggie Hamilton of Oakland University.

In December 2011, Lillard and his team played against San Jose State. Lillard scored a total of 41 points, a college-career-high, as well as a game-clinching three-point play which gave Weber State a 91-89 double-overtime win. He was named the first-team all-conference selection for the third time, and also won his second Big Sky Player of the Year award, at the end of the year. He also made it to the Bob Cousy Award selection as a finalist.

Having recognized his abilities and prospects as a top point guard, Lillard made the decision to enter the 2012 NBA draft, skipping his senior season. His college career ended with him being the No.2 scorer in Weber State history with a total record of 1,934 points and the No.5 scorer in Big Sky history.

Professional Career

In 2012, he caught the attention of the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team during a playoff where he was drafted in the first round as the sixth overall pick. In the same year, he was named co-MVP of the NBA Summer League. By the following year, he won the NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge of 2013 and was later named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for the whole season. He was also named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2013.

In the 2013-14 season, the first All-Star selection, Lillard scored a total of 32 points against the Phoenix Suns. By December that year, he scored another 32 points against the Dallas Mavericks. Still, in the same month, he scored 36 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers, including 10 assist and 8 rebounds. On December 18, he scored 36 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On January 7, Lillard scored career-high 41 points against the Sacramento Kings in a 123-119 loss. Lillard became the first player in NBA history to play in five different events during the All-Star weekend: the Rising Stars Challenge, Slam Dunk Challenge, Three-Point Contest, Skills Challenge, and the main All-Star Game. In all the 82 games of the 2013-14 season, Lillard started all 82 games, with a scoring average of 20.7 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. At the end of the season, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team.

In the 2014-15 season, Lillard again started all 82 games for his team, the Trail Blazers. He also averaged career-high points, alongside steals, rebounds, and field goal percentage. The season wasn’t his best season as he averaged a career-low of 34% from three-point range. He played well in only the first two months of the season but struggled through the rest of the season. Yet, he made an impact in the three-pointers scoring, setting the record for the most three-pointers in a player’s first three seasons.

In the 2015-16 season, Lillard signed a five-year contract extension worth $120 million, with the Trail Blazers. After a terrific 2016-17 season, Lillard was named the recipient of the Magic Johnson Award for the season. The award honors the player who is best combines effectiveness on the basketball court as well as composure and dignity when dealing with the media and the public.

Earnings and contracts

Through the June 2017 and June 2018 season, Lillard earned $40 million from his salary and other endorsement deals. Between June 2018 and June 2019, he earned $65.3 million from his NBA salary alone. Over the following 12 months, he earned $37 million from all his income sources.

It was announced on June 30, 2019, that Lillard agreed to a new “supermax” contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, a four-year deal worth $196 million. The four-year deal also provides Lillard player option for $54.3 million in the last year of the extension.

Music Career

Besides playing professional basketball, Lillard is also a hip-hop artist and rapper. He goes by the name Dame D.O.L.L.A., which means Different On Levels the Lord Allows. H released his first full length single titled Soldier in the Game in July 2015. Lillard also released his debut album called The Letter O in 2016. The letter “O” represents his journey in life: from Oakland to Ogden, now Oregon. He also wears the No. 0 on his jersey as a reminder of his journey.

Lillard’s second album was released on October 6, 2017, titled Confirmed, and his third album Big D.O.L.L.A was released on August 9, 2019, where he featured top artists like Lil Wayne, Jeremih, and Mozzy. He also owns a record label called, FrontPage Music.