After the performances by famous rappers, after the jersey retirement, the man whose name adorns the far wall grabbed the microphone.
“I just want to let you guys know that I believe in y’all,” Damian Lillard told a packed crowd at Oakland High School’s gymnasium Friday evening. “I come from the same high school, and I want y’all to take your education serious. Anything is possible.”
A two-star recruit with no Power-5 conference offers when he graduated from Oakland High eight years ago, Lillard has blossomed into the Portland Trail Blazers’ franchise point guard.