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Left by Teammates, Overlooked by Fans, Damian Lillard Finds Anger Is an Energy

It's the kind of question that normally takes a moment to consider: When was the first time someone underestimated you?

But the answer comes quickly for Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard. "I was eight years old," he said without hesitation, as if it had happened yesterday. "It wasn't basketball. I was a 'six-plays player' in peewee football. Everybody has to play at least six plays—and that's all I played."

When he quit after one season, Houston Lillard Jr., his older brother by almost four years and a future pro indoor football quarterback, taunted him.