Draymond GreenForward, Golden State Warriors

How Dame deals with the doubters 💯 #shorts #nba #damianlillard #trailblazers #nbaplayoffs

29 Apr 2022 · 1 min

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In this short interview, Damian Lillard reflects on how criticism affected him early in his career, describing how he carried a "chip on his shoulder" and felt the need to constantly prove himself. Over the past three to four years, he explains that he has shifted toward being more authentic, answering questions honestly and expressing his true feelings without concern for how others perceive him. Lillard notes that many critics lack genuine knowledge about him, and by recognizing this, he has become less affected by their harshness, choosing instead to stay consistent with his real self.

Chapters

You've reached out to me a couple of times on social, but I don't— you're kind of playful on it. You're fun on it. You know what I mean? You'll go after somebody, but tell me, take me to your space. Does it ever bother you, the criticism and the harshness?
When I was younger, the criticism really bothered me because I just carried a chip on my shoulder, like about everything, because I felt like I had to earn everything. So every little thing I felt like I had to fight for, but I would say like over the last, you know, 3 or 4 years, I've just been more like, I've learned that people don't really do their homework. I just feel like I give my real self. People ask me a question, I tell them the real answer. If I get mad about something, I get mad. If I like something, I like it. And I feel like because I was consistent at being myself, like people wasn't okay with that, you know? It's almost like they'd rather have something that's pretend or something that's fake. And once I kind of stepped back and realized that, I was less moved by who was saying what because it's like, they don't even know me. Mm-hmm.