To say Damian Lillard had an impressive season is an understatement. Despite an All-Star snub (blame it on Kobe Bryant’s farewell tour), the Portland Trailblazers’ point guard extraordinaire did the unthinkable by leading a team that lost four of its five starters, including All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge, to the second round of the playoffs. Furthermore, Lillard and the Blazers gave MVP Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors all they could handle in the toughest five-game series you’ll ever see. However, Lillard isn’t just adept at handling the rock. According to TMZ, Lillard, aka Dame D.O.L.L.A. has garnered interest from several major record labels for his skills on the mic.
I can already see the eye rolls and shade throws. The NBA is littered with the dead skeletons of bad bars spit by its players. Current and future Hall-of-Famers such as Bryant, Jason Kidd, Tony Parker, Kevin Durant and Allen Iverson all flopped on the mic so poorly that they should’ve been fined by the NBA. Average ballers have tried their chops in the booth too. Guys like Troy Hudson, Marquis Daniels and Delonte West were as nondescript in the studio as they were on the court.
Up to this point, the greatest NBA rapper of all-time was Shaquille O’Neal. Diesel’s debut album Shaq Diesel featured three legitimate singles in “What’s up Doc,” “(I Know I Got) Skillz” and “I’m Outstanding.” The album also went platinum. His second album also featured a solid effort in “Biological Didn’t Bother.” I’m not saying that O’Neal was the next coming to Biggie, 2Pac or Jay Z but in terms of NBA rappers, the Big Aristotle had to be considered the god M.C. – until now.
Lillard actually has skills. He’s not just good for an NBA player. He’s good. Period. His style seems like a little Ludacris mixed with a heavy dose of Bay area flavor. Thus far, he isn’t taking the bait of mainstream hip-hop and going the gangster, pimping and womanizing route. Instead Lillard’s style seems to be a mixture of basketball, real-life, inspiration and the natural swag that comes from being a young, black millionaire. His latest release on SoundCloud, “Talk To Em” racked up more than 100k plays in a day. Overall, he’s amassed more than 4.5M plays on the music service.
On MLK Day, his video for “Bigger Than Us” debuted on TNT. It has racked up nearly 750k views on YouTube. That’s more views than O’Neal’s “I’m Outstanding” has received in seven years (712k). Of course, popularity doesn’t always reflect quality. Still, while Lillard’s popularity is fast-rising as he continues to cook on the court, he’s not on the level of a LeBron James where he could get a million views rapping “Hickory Dickory Dock.” Just like on the hardwood, Dame D.O.L.L.A. has earned any props he has received in the rap game. He seems to have the skills and the work ethic to blossom into a star. Don’t be fooled by the suspect name, D.O.L.L.A. is a forced to be reckoned with.
Lillard isn’t the only active player with all-star cred on the mic. Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert also has a solid flow. While not quite as polished as Lillard, Shumpert has plenty of potential. He has two videos on YouTube that have garnered over 500k views: “Anarchy,” featuring XVRHLDY and “Promised,” featuring his fiancée Teyana Taylor. The songs are very different and show Shumpert’s versatility on the microphone. With a little seasoning, Shumpert’s flow has the potential to go as high as his flat top.
Death of the Killer
With the retirement of The Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant, it seems like the era of the cold-hearted killers is nearing an end. Over the years we’ve seen Bryant and guys like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and others seemed to have ice in their veins when it mattered most. Now it seems that players with that type of mentality, or consistency, are few and far between. Curry has been the best player in the game the past two seasons and done plenty of otherworldly things in clutch time. However, you can’t look past his inconsistent play on the biggest stage in last year’s NBA Finals or his lack of dominance so far in the current postseason against the Oklahoma City Thunder. If the Warriors are eliminated, his clutch-ness will come under question. James is still a beast, but he is also known to defer in crunch time. So who is left to carry on the mantle?
Russell Westbrook: Westbrook still gets plenty of criticism despite emerging as one of the top handful of players in the game. He shoots too much. He’s not a traditional point guard. He dresses weird. All have some merit, but one thing Westbrook does consistently is put pressure on the defense. Westbrook is relentless in his attack like none other. When the Thunder have their opponents on the ropes, it’s usually Westbrook seeking to put the dagger through their hearts, whether it’s a clutch three-pointer, a rim-rattling dunk or a timely offensive rebound.
Damian Lillard: Lillard is not only a great rapper, he’s an ice-cold assassin on the basketball court. Lillard’s All-Star snub only served to motivate him to rise to another level when playing against the game’s other elite point guards. He went toe-to-toe with Curry in the second round of the playoffs despite being heavily outmanned. Lillard is the one player today that has that look that Jordan, Bryant and Bird had in clutch time. If Portland can surround him with better talent, he’ll carry the clutch gene torch to the next generation.
Dwyane Wade: Without James by his side for the first time four years, DWade had to remind fans of his alpha dog status. Sure, the Heat lost, but the absence of Chris Bosh and Hasan Whiteside severely crippled their chances. Wade is approaching the tail end of his career and cannot dominate consistently, but with the game on the line in a huge game, I can’t think of many other active players I’d take over Wade.
Did I miss any big-time clutch players? If so, drop your comment below and make your case.
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