20 Things You Might Not Know About Damian Lillard

Ever Since Damian Lillard was drafted in the 2012 NBA Draft, he's been a star. However, lately, he looks like one of the best players in the game. This season, he's averaging 29.5 points per game, which would be a career-high. Although the Trail Blazers have struggled, he's playing at an all-time high.

With Lillard playing his best, he's become more popular. More and more casual fans are becoming fans of the erupting star. He's turned a team that nobody cares into a team that a lot of fans now root for. He's becoming a fan favorite more and more as time goes on.

Now that he's becoming more popular, it's a good time to get to know the Trail Blazers point guard even more. Lillard has a great story, so it's fun to learn more than what the average fan would know about him. Knowing more about him might make you like him even more.

20 He's A Christian

Damian Lillard is a heavy believer in his Christian faith. On his right arm, he has a tattoo that stretches from his shoulder down to his elbow from the Bible passage, Psalms 37. The bible verse discusses believers ignoring "evildoers" and to "cultivate faithfulness." He's also discussed his faith during some interviews.

19 Has A Sponsorship Deal With Powerade And Hulu

Most athletes have endorsements to make extra money away from their contracts, as does Damian Lillard. Lillard has a few endorsement deals, with some of the biggest with Hulu and Powerade. Both endorsements are fairly new, especially with Hulu promoting live sports without cable as a recent advertisement that has surfaced everywhere.

18 Established RESPECT Program To Help Local High School Kids Graduate

There's even more of a reason to love Damian Lillard in the Portland area, as he established the RESPECT program. This program motivates kids in the local area to respect each other and keep working hard. To be more specific, the program attempts to push students to graduate high school and not to give up.

17 Went To Weber State University

As big of a star as Lillard is, you would think he played at a big school in college. Not at all. He played at Webster State University, a school in the Big Sky Conference. Granted, if you're good, they will find you. They found Damian Lillard. However, it must've been a big transition from Webster State to the NBA.

16 Graduated With A Degree In Sales

Lillard should be set up for life with basketball, but in the case for whatever reason he needs a job after the NBA, he graduated with a Sales degree. That's actually a pretty good degree to get for an athlete, as they understand the financial aspect of the sport. This should help him understand contracts a bit better on and off the court.

15 Not Heavily Recruited In High School

When it came time for Lillard to look at schools, many schools weren't looking bad. As good as he is now, you wouldn't think that a lot of universities were ignoring the young point guard. Granted, he made his breakthrough, but it took going to a smaller school to be the star.

14 Transferred To Multiple High Schools

Lillard knew that he wasn't being recruited enough, which is why he had his own transfer portal within high schools. It appears he attended three different high schools, with the most notable being St. Joseph Notre Dame High School and Oakland High School. Lillard hoped that transferring schools would spark more interest from colleges.

13 Two-Star Prospect Coming Out Of High School

It all comes down to how recruiters look at players, and they had Lillard ranked as a two-star prospect. It's tough for two-star prospects to really go anywhere, yet become a star player in the NBA. Lillard certainly had his work cut out for him to prove he was deserving of playing time in the NBA.

12 Played Only 10 Games His Junior Year Of College Due To Injury

The road never got easy for Lillard, as he missed a bunch of games his junior year at Webster State due to a nasty foot injury. The talent was there, but Lillard consistently found himself hurdling different obstacles throughout his career. Luckily, he ended up getting drafted sixth overall, so none of this made a huge impact on his ultimate draft stock.

11 Won Player Of The Year In The Big Sky Conference Twice

If it wasn't for the injury that Damian Lillard suffered in his junior season, he may have won the Player of the Year Award twice in the Big Sky Conference. He was fantastic and used the lesser talents around him to help boost himself. Lillard took the advantage to shine among the rest, and it paid off.

10 He's Scared Of Historic Statues

We all have our fears, and Damian Lillard's is historic statues. Although this might not be everyone's fear, it's fair to not want to be around these. It's almost like bringing back the dead to stay forever. It might not creep everyone out, but it makes complete sense why some people, including Lillard, might be scared of them.

9 Met CJ McCollum Through Twitter Prior To Becoming Teammates

A year after the Trail Blazers selected Damian Lillard in the first round, they drafted CJ McCollum. Since then, they've developed a friendship on and off the court in Portland. Interestingly enough, the two didn't meet when they became teammates. Their first interaction actually came off of Twitter. It goes to show you how social media impacts today's society.

8 Highest-Paid Player In Trail Blazers History

From transferring to multiple high schools, to attending a small school, to missing most of his junior season, to becoming a first-round pick and becoming the highest-paid player in Trail Blazers history. That's a lot to take in, but it also shows you how hard Lillard worked to get where he was. At times it seemed like he might have no future, to becoming one of the game's best.

7 High School Career Began On The Bench

Even more so to elaborate on Lillard's tough road to the NBA, he began his high school basketball career on the bench. Imagine knowing you have that much talent, and you can't even help your team during games. It makes more sense why Lillard kept transferring high schools, as he wanted to give himself the best chance to play.

6 He Wears A Size 16 In Shoes

Damian Lillard isn't a massive guy. He's 6'2, weighs 195 pounds, yet wears a size 16 in shoes. In every way, he has features of a normal guy until you realize he has massive feet. It seems so disproportional to have a normal size body yet such big feet. Does this mean that anyone with massive feet needs to be in the NBA?

5 Releases Music Under The Name, Dame D.O.L.L.A.

Basketball is, of course, important to Damian Lillard, but he also has another career in music. On the side, he has a rapping career in which he goes by, Dame D.O.L.L.A. He's released three albums throughout his career, with special guests including Lil Wayne, Mozzy and Jeremih. What once was a hobby with his friend, became a second career for Lillard.

4 Number "0" To Represent Journey In Life

Damian Lillard's story is not just motivating to others, but also to himself. That's why he wears the number 0. It's used to describe his journey in life from Oakland, to Ogden, and now over to Oregon. His story continues to impress, and now every time you watch him, you will remember his story simply by looking at his jersey number.

3 One Of Three NBA Players To Have 20 Points And 10 Assists In Debut

Damian Lillard's impact on the NBA came immediately, as he became the third player in NBA history to have at least 20 points and 10 assists in their first game. The only other two to do so are Allen Iverson and Oscar Robertson. Lillard scored 23 points and 11 assists in his debut against the Lakers. It was evident he was a star in the making.

2 He Had A Weapon Pulled On Him

When he was younger, he had a gun pulled on him. You hate to hear things like this happen, especially to really good people. Luckily, Lillard suffered no harm and continued to live his life without any issues. However, that moment must've been horrifying for him to experience. Unfortunately, these things sadly happen.

1 His Brother Is A Professional Quarterback

Damian Lillard isn't the only professional athlete in his family. His brother, Houston, is a quarterback in an Indoor Football League. It might not be the NFL, but it's still impressive that he was able to continue his career as a football player to another league. It would be fun if his brother found a way to make it to the XFL.

NEXT: Carmelo Anthony And 14 Other NBA Stars Who Are Close To Calling It A Career