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Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard holds a close connection to his hometown of Oakland, California. For example, he hosts an annual picnic in East Oakland to give back to the youth in the area. Now, Lillard has the chance to play in the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors in front of many friends and family:
"A lot of the people I grew up with...a lot of my friends are fans of this team."
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 15, 2019
Dame speaks on being from Oakland, growing up a Warriors fan and now playing against them in the WCF! #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/ZupcIbDvup
I think the situation is special. Growing up in Oakland, growing up a Warriors fan, this being the last year of them playing in Oakland, all of those things — it’s special for those reasons.
Lillard even joked that he could walk home from the arena:
Me being so close to here, I could walk home from here if I wanted to. So that tells you how close it is.
Lillard also says that Golden State’s crowd is weird for him since he recognizes people in the stands, and those people probably have his phone number.
Game 2 in Golden State is Thursday at 6 p.m. PT.