While many of today's NBA stars walked the red carpet and attended the NBA Awards in Los Angeles earlier this week, Portland Trail Blazers superstar point guard Damian Lillard chose to give back to the community instead.
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It all started with a simple tweet, too.
All kids in Portland... if you wear a size 12 or 12.5 meet me at Irving Park at 8pm shoe giveaway ... 🤷🏽♂️
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) June 26, 2018
Although not everyone wore the size of the basketball shoes, the impromptu social media post to meet at Irving Park on Monday night erupted in popularity as the crowds gathered by the dozens when Lillard rolled up to the park driving a U-Haul truck.
Craziness at a city park in Portland! NBA All-Star @Dame_Lillard posted on social media he was en route to give free shoes to kids, and a BUNCH of people showed up on short notice. pic.twitter.com/vX9gCGU1bJ
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) June 26, 2018
Ho boy pic.twitter.com/vWQS9GOKjx
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) June 26, 2018
Lillard, the All-NBA floor general who finished fourth in MVP voting after averaging 26.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists during the 2017-18 season, is a staple of the Portland organization and community, and is known for these kind gestures.
The way Dame connects to Portland is amazing. He gets it. And it’s 100 percent real. https://t.co/Nju92GZwgh
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) June 26, 2018
Of course, with such a big crowd on short notice, the figurehead of the adidas Dame sneaker collection, ran out of shoes to give away, but the 6-foot-3 veteran All-Star stuck around for autographs.
He ran out of shoes to give away so now he’s just signing autographs. pic.twitter.com/4LWqalmF16
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) June 26, 2018
This is undoubtedly Lillard's greatest assist of the offseason so far and don't be surprised if something like this happens again.
