Is Damian Lillard’s Latest Message A Shot At The Portland Trailblazers?

Portland Trailblazers superstar Damian Lillard’s relationship with the organization has seemingly crumbled since requesting a trade on July 1.

Late Sunday night, Lillard took to social media, quoting rapper and Miami Heat supporter J. Cole. The lyrics are taken from his song See World on Friday Night Lights.

"Either you play the game or let the game play you and be that broke mf talking bout I stayed true," Lillard quoted.

“Either you play the game or let the game play you and be that broke mf talking bout I stayed true”
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) August 7, 2023

Although he may just enjoy the lyrics, they certainly connect to his current status with the Blazers. Lillard has spent the last 11 seasons in Portland, staying ‘true’ to the organization. Now, he has requested a trade to the Heat, in a sense ‘playing the game,' as Cole said.

Lillard’s goal is to team up with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo to compete for a championship. He has always expressed a desire to bring home a championship to Portland, but as the lyrics say, "Either you play the game or let the game play you."

The Trailblazers failed to build around him, never providing an All-Star teammate. Some of his longest-tenured teammates include CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkić. Lillard's lack of help around him is likely one of the key reasons he requested a trade.

This is not the first cryptic message Lillard has released, so it is reasonable to assume he is taking a shot at his soon-to-be former organization.

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Anthony Pasciolla is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at anthonypasciolla36@gmail.com or follow him on Tik Tok @anthonysports_