Damian Lillard: Star Actor, Basketball Player, or both?
By Bryce Olin
Who knows what Damian Lillard’s legacy will be when his career is over?
Perennial All-Star?
FIBA World Cup Champion?
Olympic Gold Medalist?
NBA Champion?
Most Valuable Player?
Oscar-winning Actor?
The last one might come as a surprise to some, but with his performance in Adidas’ new “Boost or Bust” commercial, there’s no denying Lillard has some serious acting chops.
Maybe Lillard isn’t Tom Hanks or Daniel Day Lewis just yet. There is time for Lillard to find his niche in the acting world. Maybe a basketball movie is the way to go.
There are plenty of basketball movies being made. Look at Channing Tatum’s career. It was kick-started by his role in Coach Carter. Now, imagine Lillard, 20 years older, coaching the team instead of Samuel L. Jackson. It’s a much better movie, right?
The latest Adidas commercial wasn’t Lillard’s first go-round in the acting world. He’s had other Adidas commercials with a couple lines. None of those compare to Lillard’s MVP-like performance in the sketch comedy show Portlandia in April:
“I’m not a woman. I’m a man.”
Add like another minute and a half to that speech, throw in a couple more dramatic pauses, and Lillard’s winning an Emmy, an Oscar, or another acting award for that performance, hands down.
I’d like to take some time pitch my next great idea to all the Hollywood executives out there reading my Blazers’ coverage this offseason.
“Blazers”
Blazers is a modern day NBA re-make of everyone’s favorite basketball movie, Hoosiers. But instead of the movie being set in Indiana, the film is set in Portland, because duh.
After former Blazers’ head coach Terry Stotts is fired, rookie head coach Gene Hackman, played by Jon Hamm, is hired to coach the Blazers, but his tough, confrontational style of coaching is a shock to the Blazers’ team, who was used to Stotts’ laidback demeanor.
Star player, JiMarcus Chitridge (LaMarcus Aldridge), quits the team because he doesn’t want to play for Gene Hackman. I mean, can you blame him? Chitridge’s absence sends the whole city of Portland into an uproar, but Hackman refuses to back down.
By the skin of their teeth, the Blazers hang on until the All-Star break with a half decent record. By that time, Chitridge is sick and tired of not playing basketball and returns to the court just in time to help the Blazers the Playoffs.
The Blazers pull of three miracle series victories, including a dagger three by little man extraordinaire Ollie McLillard (played by Damian Lillard) at the buzzer to beat the Houston Rockets, and make the NBA Finals. I think you know what happens from there:
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS ARE 2016 NBA CHAMPIONS!!!
Come on, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t watch that movie. Lillard would have the Supporting Actor Oscar locked up.