In a Bleacher Report interview with Golden State Warrior Draymond Green earlier today (Monday, September 28), the Bay’s own Damian Lillard recalled one of the moments that inspired him to go extra hard in his career. He shared that after he transferred from Arroyo high school in San Lorenzo to St. Joe’s in Alameda, he wasn’t able to play his whole sophomore year!
The Oakland native detailed how the St. Joe’s High School coach laughed at his NBA dreams; sharing the following:
“Coach was like, ‘man, you think you’re going to make it to the NBA?’ I was like, ‘Yeah.’ And he chuckled and laughed in my face, bro. He literally like smiled at me in my face and I was just like, I’ll never forget when he said that, and it was that summer when we played AAU. We played against the T-Mac (Tracy McGrady) All-Stars, and I was just killing.
I remember seeing Lorenzo Romar (the Washington Huskies head coach from 2002 – 2017), Roy Williams (the North Carolina Tar Heels coach), and I’m leaving the court like, ‘I’m good. I’m (gonna) get a call. We get to the hotel, bro … nothing. Like nothing. I ain’t get nothing from that? I think from that moment, it was like, I felt slighted.”
Watch the full clip below!
Photo: GettyImages