Damian Lillard Biography: Net Worth, Salary, Family and Career Stats

The Milwaukee Bucks' point guard Damian Lillard was born on July 15, 1990, in Oakland, California. He has established his legacy as a player who can score under clutch situations or late in the quarters. That's why the fans have named his late-quarter play as “Dame Time," which is also his nickname. Even his jersey number 0 carries a meaning with it, and that proves how much the game of basketball means to Damian overall. He rose from the streets of Oakland without any fancy collegiate program to prove himself in the world of the NBA. Today, we are going to explore the life of this legend.

Damian Lillard Early Life

Damian grew up in the violent neighborhood of Oakland, California. So, basketball was the only way to stay away from all of that negativity and Lillard used to practice his skills in the local courts. Soon, Dame realized that he was special, and that's why he did not waste time staying in the same low, competitive space. Over time, his hunger for improvement was showcased during his collegiate years at Weber State University. From there, the Portland front office picked him up as the sixth overall pick.

Damian Lillard Biography

Damian Lillard Career

Damian Lillard was not considered a basketball success from the start. After he completed his high school education, the programs were not interested in him since he did not win any high school championships. However, his record for his high school team was impressive, and Weber State University noticed it. That's why he was inducted into their basketball program, after which Dame created a name for himself in the basketball world.

Damian Lillard High School Career

Lillard went to various high schools during his initial years, including Arroyo High School in San Lorenzo and Oakland High School. His first destination was Arroyo that Lillard left since his coach did not return to the school after freshman season.

For the Sophomore season, Dame went to the St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda, California. Unfortunately, little Lillard was not getting enough playing time on the court to display and hone his skills. So, he made a switch again to attend Oakland High for his junior and senior seasons. There, he tallied 19.4 and 22.4 points during his junior and senior years, respectively.

Damian Lillard Professional Career

Lillard chose Weber State University for college basketball and averaged 11.5 points per game during his freshman season. This number increased to 19.9 points per game during his Sophomore year, after which he received the Big Sky Player of the Year accolade. He got redshirted due to a foot injury during his junior season. Yet he was able to dish out 24.5 points per game. Eventually, he decided to skip his senior eligibility and appear for the NBA draft.

The Portland Trail Blazers drafted Damian Lillard as the sixth overall pick in 2012. It was an immediate match for him while playing for Portland since he dished out 23 points and 11 assists during his debut game against the Los Angeles Lakers. In his first season, the point guard raked up 1,500 points and 500 assists, eventually earning the honor of Rookie of the Year in 2013. For the upcoming seasons, Lillard kept on improving until the team reached the Western Conference Finals in 2019. However, due to a rib injury in Game 2, Dame could not give his best, and the Dubs took away the series in four games. The Portland roster could not reach the same spot again, and then Lillard underwent abdominal surgery in the 2021-22 season.

Upon his request, he was transferred to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team trade and joined Giannis Antetokounmpo in the hopes of a championship. Since then, he has been solely focused on pushing the Bucks toward their desired NBA title. Here are the stats that Damian Lillard has put up in the league, according to ESPN archives:

Damian Lillard Awards and Achievements

Damian Lillard was an exceptional chap on the court the moment he entered the court in his debut season. That's why he received the NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2023, when he completed his first season. He even won the gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by being part of the United Nations Men's Basketball team. Apart from that, his grit for a better result placed him in the hearts of fans and got him nine All-Star selections during his career. He achieved another high of his career last year when he received the All-Star Game MVP in 2024 after joining the Milwaukee Bucks. Here are the other achievements, along with the ones that Lillard achieved in the NBA.

Damian Lillard Records

Damian Lillard played eleven long seasons for the Portland Trail Blazers, so he had set most of the records while playing for that franchise. Although they were not big enough to lead the whole league, he is still the franchise leader in some of those stats categories. One of the biggest regrets of his life was not being able to secure a championship for his first team. However, later on, Lillard was traded to the Bucks on his request, and his dream remained unfulfilled. Considering the whole career, here are the milestones that he has achieved in his pro-basketball career:

Damian Lillard Net Worth and Salary

As per data from Forbes, the net worth of Damian Lillard is expected to be $64.8 million. Apart from endorsements and NBA salaries, Damian Lillard has profited from his music career. He has released five studio albums under his rap name, Dame D.O.L.L.A. He's also a global ambassador for the Special Olympics. Lillard's "Money Ball" track was even featured on the "NBA 2K20" soundtrack. In 2015, he released his first song, and in 2016, he released his first album, "The Letter O."

Apart from the reported $100 million Adidas deal and new lifetime signature shoe deal, Dame has partnered with brands like Powerade in 2017, Moda Health, JBL, Biofreeze, Foot Locker, Panini, and Spalding. He even agreed to endorse Hulu for the streaming service's brand-new live sports offering in 2019.

For the NBA salaries, Damian Lillard is getting paid under the 4 year $176 million Designated Veteran Player contract extension that he signed with the Portland Trail Blazers on July 06, 2019. So, he is set to earn $49.30 million in the 2024-25 season. It is the last installment of that contract. After that, the Bucks will pay him according to the 2-year $112.58 million maximum veteran contract extension that he inked on July 09, 2022. It all happened when the Portland team traded in a three-team trade to the Milwaukee Bucks on September 27, 2023. Here is a breakdown of the NBA salary that Damian has earned so far yearly, according to Spotrac:

Damian Lillard Wife

Damian Lillard is currently not married but he was married to his college love Kay'la Hanson in the past. Both of them met each other at Weber State University in Utah, where romance sprouted between them. After that connection, they dated each other for about ten years and then proposed to Kay'la during NBA All-Star weekend in 2020. Explaining his process in an interview with Ebony, Lillard revealed, "I snuck all of my family and her family out to Chicago without her knowing. I told her we were attending a new Valentine's Day event the NBA was hosting. We showed up to the venue where I had a wall full of roses designed with ‘Will You Marry Me?’ Then both of our families joined us for the big celebration."

Later on, both of them tied the knot on September 4, 2021, in Montecito, California, during an outdoor ceremony. Revealing his magical moments, Damian said in an interview, “The moment she started walking down the aisle towards me, I felt even more overcome with love.”

Damian Lillard Parents

Damian Lillard's parent's names are Houston Lillard Sr. and Gina Johnson. Both of them respected the choices and instilled the quality of responsibility and hard work in Dame. When Weber State coach Randy Rahe pitched the program for Damian, Houston Lillard Sr. told Dame, “They are real people. But don’t make a decision for me or anyone else. You have to live with the decision and don’t feel like you have to make anyone happy with the decision,”

When Lillard was convinced to join the collegiate team, his father added, “Well, tell [Rahe] you want to do it. We’re not going to be going back on our word. So, if you say you want to do it, let’s do it.’ So, I went back inside, and I committed to him.”

Even Damian's mother, Gina, was experiencing unfavorable treatment at her workplace during Dame's junior year in college. The moment Damian got the ticket to enter the NBA Draft, he packed his mother's goods from her workplace as soon as possible in front of the whole office. It shows how much Lillard has a connection with his parents.

Damian Lillard Kids

Before their marriage in 2021, Damian and Kay'la Hanson welcomed their first child, a son named Damian Jr., on March 29, 2018. After almost two years, the couple announced on Instagram that Hanson was pregnant with twins this time. Dame posted on Instagram with the caption, “I'm a DADDY DADDY now 😂😂😂... happy for another boy but this girl gone hit different.” He posted this caption with his son Damian Jr. holding two peas in a pod.

Later, on Jan. 21, 2021, Damian and Kay'la welcomed the baby twins through an Instagram announcement where Lillard revealed the name of his twins, “Kali Emma Lee Lillard (Callie...girl) and Kalii Laheem Lillard (kuh-lee ..boy ).”

Damian Lillard Shoes

Lillard's collaboration with Adidas has led to the creation of the "Dame" series. Each iteration reflects his style and personal stories, with the Dame 8 being the latest release, celebrated for its performance and design.

Ever since his inception in the NBA as a baller in 2012, Damian Lillard has been associated with the shoes and apparel brand, Adidas. He had signed a signature shoe deal with the brand, after which Adidas launched the “Dame” series for the Bucks point guard. In the 2024-25 offseason, Dame's partnership and contract with the brand had ended. However, he agreed on a lifetime contract extension with Adidas on December 19, 2024.

Through this move, Lillard joined players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant (Nike), and Stephen Curry (Under Armour/Curry Brand) as active NBA players with lifetime shoe endorsement contracts. His agent, Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management, was the one who negotiated the initial Nike deals for James and Durant.

Damian Lillard Jersey

Damian Lillard has always donned the number 0 jersey while playing in the NBA. The number is the representative of the letter 'O' for Oakland, Ogden (where he attended college), and Oregon. Even after moving to the Milwaukee Bucks, he has not changed his jersey number and continued with 0.

For Trail Blazers, he used to wear the jersey numbers in traditional black, red, and white hues. Most of them are Black Player Swingman Road Jersey and jerseys with white domination.

How Many Rings Does Damian Lillard Have?

Damian Lillard has not been able to secure an NBA Championship despite performing for so long with the Portland Trail Blazers. He made it to the playoffs eight times with the Blazers and one time with the Milwaukee Bucks last season. However, the closest he ever came to an NBA title was during the 2019 postseason when the Portland Trail Blazers were swept by the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals in just four games.