On Wednesday (September 27), 33-year-old basketball icon Damian Lillard was traded from the Portland Trailblazers to the Milwaukee Bucks. Leaving the team he played for throughout his entire 11-year NBA career thus far, Lillard had requested the trade earlier this off-season, hoping to find an organization where he could win a championship late in his career.
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Still, though, Lillard, the Trailblazers, and the city of Portland will always carry the cherished memories they share from his time on the team. So, when Lillard decided to send a message to the Trailblazer community when his departure was finalized, he did it the best way he knew how.
Hours after news broke of Lillard’s move to Milwaukee, he released a song titled “Farewell” under his hip-hop moniker Dame D.O.L.L.A. With the same ferocity and passion he provides on the basketball court, Lillard delivered powerful raps about his gratitude, but also his self-worth.
I could never get replaced, they’ll know sooner than later
An arrow pointed at who assumed it was greater
Amazing what I get in return for this labor
I continue leaving trails, but won’t be for the blazers
To the fans, man I love you, it’s unconditional
Reasons for me leaving the city’s nothing typical
So it’s imperative not to believe the narrative
Just know that what I left is better than what I inherited
For most of his career as a professional hooper, Lillard has used Dame D.O.L.L.A. to live out his music dreams. Releasing five full-length projects since 2016, and collaborating with world-renowned MCs like Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, and more, Lillard has been able to establish an entirely new fanbase in the rap world.
[RELATED: Damian Lillard is an NBA Star and World-Class Songwriter]
When speaking to American Songwriter in a 2021 interview, Lillard expressed why he is so passionate about music as an art form, and how it is different from basketball in terms of building a relationship with an audience.
“The thing I love most about music is the feeling that I get when I connect with the artist,” he said. “Obviously, we all love the beat and the production and the bounce to music, I think everybody loves that. Or just the softness or the smoothness of it, if it’s not rap. But I think the best feeling for me, as a listener, is when the artist is—when I’m listening to an artist’s music and I connect with them.”
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
