Bucks Zone

Giannis, Curry, and Durant were in awe of Dame Lillard’s shooting ability: "He's been doing it for his whole career"

Even Damian Lillard’s peers were left in awe.
Jonas Panerio|
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Milwaukee Bucks

It’s one thing to leave fans in awe of your incredible basketball skills, but it’s a whole other level when you have fellow NBA superstars in awe of you. That was the case for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Damian Lillard when he put on a show in the 2024 All-Star Game on Sunday, draining 11 three-pointers in a 39-point performance that earned him the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award.

Giannis is happy Dame is on his side

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has seen firsthand how explosive Lillard can be. Despite being teammates for only 50+ games, Giannis could only shake his head watching Da e drain one long ball after another. More than anything, the “Greek Freak” was happy Lillard was on his Bucks team rather than the opposition.

“I’m like, ‘Dang, that’s my teammate there,'” Giannis said.

“I’m happy that he’s on my side, and I’m happy what he’s capable of doing on the court.”

Shooting from halfcourt like it was a free throw

Phoenix Suns ace Kevin Durant was equally amazed at how easy Lillard made shooting from halfcourt look. Of the 11 triples Lillard swished, two came from the halfcourt line, leaving KD and Los Angeles Clippers stud Kawhi Leonard to gawk at the effortless precision.

“Me and Kawhi (Leonard) was in awe of him shooting from the half-court line like it was a free throw. That’s strength, power, muscle memory. That’s someone who works extremely hard every day on their craft to be able to do that without flinching. It was just a normal and natural motion,” KD said.

Meanwhile, Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry wasn’t at all surprised by Lilalrd’s shooting exhibition, saying that he has seen him do it countless times before.

“He’s been doing it for his whole career. You can stretch your imagination. I think Atlanta two years ago, where I think he won (the game) — like maybe two feet (beyond) the three-point line to win the game in that Elam ending thing. It’s always fun to stretch the limits of where he could shoot. He’s been doing it a long time.”

Malik Beasley and Pat Connaughton allege Damian Lillard missed his first four shots on the last rack on purpose

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Jonas Panerio
JONAS PANERIO