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“Not Everyone Can Become LeBron James”: NBA Star on the Difficulties of Competing in the League

Published 04/09/2020, 12:15 PM EDT

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LeBron James is an iconic figure admired by many aspiring basketball players around the world. He serves as an inspiration and kids around the world hang his posters around their bedroom walls. 

While every young player dreams of scaling the mountain top and establish their name as the very best, Portland Trail Blazers Point Guard Damian Lillard has a differently composed message for youngsters. 

Lillard has been very impressive for his team this season as he went on a wild scoring streak for six matches averaging 48.8 points per game. This incredible feat earned him back-to-back Eastern Conference Player of the week awards.

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Not Everyone Can Become LeBron James 

Damian Lillard joined Turner Sports’ Ernie Johnson on a video call where they spoke about a variety of topics. 

One particular topic he spoke about is his message to the younger fans dreaming of making it to the NBA. He spoke about how everybody has a different chapter written in their lives. He claimed not everyone is going to reach the top. To put it in his own words:

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“There are a lot more out there who will be in my situation than there will be in a LeBron James situation. How many people will be able to be a LeBron James? Not many.”

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He further added that it took him a lot of character, work ethic to get where he is now. The Trail Blazers star also said that it is gonna be tough for the young players and it takes a lot and they need to know when and where to talk the right stuff. 

He claimed that he had to endure a lot to end up as the sixth pick in the draft. “That’s a lot to commit to,” he said. 

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The reason he cited LeBron James as an example is because James is currently the face of the NBA. The four-time MVP is currently going strong in his 17th season in the NBA. He is leading the line of the Los Angeles Lakers who stand strong on the top of the Western Conference table. 

As for Damian Lillard, he has had an impressive season with the Trail Blazers individually. He notched up his career-high of 61 points in a match against the Golden State Warriors. The PG also recorded his first triple-double this season.

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Written by:

Arjun Athreya

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Arjun Athreya is a senior writer at Essentially Sports and has been contributing since early 2020. Having developed an avid interest in sports at an early age, he pursued a Journalism degree and graduated from Madras Christian College. Arjun manages the Golf division and its content, and primarily covers news pertaining to the NBA as well.
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