Damian Lillard Shouts Out Ogden In Freestyle Verse
Nov 21, 2019, 10:41 AM
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Former Weber State Wildcat and current Portland Trailblazer Damien Lillard gave Ogden, Utah a shout out in a verse he did for Adidas.
In the Adidas promo posted to Twitter, Lillard recited a verse about his multi-faceted identity and the people and places that motivate him.
“Oakland. The city that raised me,” Lillard said. “Ogden. The city that had my back.”
“I wrote my own verse. Now write yours.”@dame_lillard #FreeToCreate pic.twitter.com/MJOdipITzc
— adidas Basketball (@adidasHoops) November 21, 2019
Lillard began the verse explaining his sources of identity, “Who are you? A son, a brother, and a father. A ballplayer and a rapper.”
The video shows Lillard in his Weber State uniform and cap and gown from when he graduated with a professional sales degree three years after he entered the NBA.
Lillard promised his mom he would finish his degree after he went pro and he did.
“(College is) about the experience and lot of the things that you pick up along the way,” Lillard told USA Today. “Even if it’s not directly your education. … It can be anything. I’m grateful for what I have here. Anything you start you should want to finish. Especially your education.”
The verse is part of Adidas’ “Free To Create” campaign. James Harden has also been featured as a “Free To Create” athlete.
“There’s no rules to who I can be and how I do it. I wrote my own verse, now write yours,” Lillard concluded.