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Damian Lillard joins stars of Adidas in latest ad

By Dayton Brown

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 27: Derrick Rose of the Chicago (R) Bulls, Damian Lillard (L) of the Portland Trail Blazers and Robbie Fuller of adidas pose for a photo with D Rose 5 Boost and Crazy Light Boost during the Adidas BOOST Basketball Launch inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on July 27, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for adidas)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 27: Derrick Rose of the Chicago (R) Bulls, Damian Lillard (L) of the Portland Trail Blazers and Robbie Fuller of adidas pose for a photo with D Rose 5 Boost and Crazy Light Boost during the Adidas BOOST Basketball Launch inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on July 27, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for adidas) /
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The All-Star point guard sat amongst the likes of Tracy McGrady, David Beckham, James Harden, and many other polarizing sports figures in a new Adidas ad.

“Calling all Creators.” Adidas knows its target audience, and target athletes. A brand new commercial for the giant sports apparel company dropped on their website and YouTube page earlier this week.

Of the countless athletes and celebrities in the newest ad, Portland’s very own Damian Lillard is in the forefront. He speaks two lines in the commercial, which features other faces of Adidas sitting at a very large table.

The table features other prominent figures for Adidas. This includes Kristaps Porzingis, Lionel Messi, Pharrell Williams, Tracy McGrady, James Harden, Karli Kloss, David Beckham, and more.

It’s a star-studded ad, one many Blazer fans are happy to see Lillard a part of.

The ad also appeared on the Trail Blazers Instagram page. In it, Lillard utters the lines “Who are obsessed with progress,” referring to the ones Adidas is calling upon. He also says, “I’m not trying to stay in my lane. I’m trying to strike while the iron’s HOT.”

Damian Lillard rising in Adidas ranks

Lillard, a two-time All-Star, 2012 Rookie of the Year, and Portland’s face of the franchise, is slowly becoming the head of the Adidas Basketball department. He signed with the company in April of 2014. It was the third largest shoe deal ever at the time, and he’s released several versions of his signature shoes since.

With Derrick Rose (who was also in the commercial) plagued by injuries, and Andrew Wiggins (who was not in the commercial) greatly underperforming, Lillard has worked his way up the ladder.

This is promising for many reasons. Firstly, having Lillard in such a huge commercial gets his name out to the public even more. This puts Portland, and its NBA team, on the map.

Next: Stay optimistic Blazer fans!

On top of that, more ads for Lillard help make the Blazers a viable free agent destination. Promotions on this scale show other players that small market stars get love too. And, with Adidas based in Portland and the Pacific Northwest, along with Nike, shoe deals and sponsors are easier to come by.

As Lillard and Adidas states, creators create. Both are here to help that, and Blazer fans should be proud of their main man Dame for moving up so quickly in the popularity ranks for NBA stars.