Blazers’ Lillard Uses Playoff Share to Elevate Support Staff

Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has routinely used his position as a leader to elevate the status of those around him. From is work in the community to making sure Luis Montero looked sharp, the Oakland native uses his wealth to support others.

HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy took a detailed look at how NBA players utilize their assets when they aren’t on the court. Along with examining card games and video game tournaments, Kennedy touched on how Lillard urged his teammates to distribute their playoff shares to the Blazers’ support staff after the 2017 NBA Playoffs.

Playoff shares are the bonus that a team makes for achieving certain milestones (like winning the most regular season games or advancing deeper and deeper into the playoffs). Teams are given a lump sum and are allowed to split the playoff shares however they’d like.

There have been instances where a star on a contender will promise to give a player their playoff shares if they sign with the team (especially if the new player took a pay cut to join the squad). Following the 2017 playoffs, Damian Lillard encouraged his Blazers teammates to give their $223,864 playoff bonus to the organization’s employees who work behind the scenes rather than keeping it for themselves.

It is unclear if Lillard will continue this practice after Portland’s stellar run in the 2019 postseason. If the past is any indicator, Lillard will continue to look out for those around him.

You can read Kennedy’s full post at HoopsHype.