“People Want to See Like a Cinderella”: Despite Limited Knowledge, Damian Lillard Praises NBA In-Season Tournament for One Particular Reason

With things quieting down on the Lillard trade saga, the 7x All-Star opens up about his experience. Joining the Knuckleheads podcast, Damian Lillard offers his uninhibited views on a few choice topics. The Bucks signed Dame on the Blazers’ three-way trade to build a solid roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo. While this came as a huge shock to the NBA world, Milwaukee seems to have come out at the end looking like the winners they hoped to be.

Yet to win a ring, Dame trusts the Greek and Bucks to help him land one. Until then, he still has a few in-season games to get through. And on that note, he has a unique take on Silver’s fresh addition to the NBA.

Damian Lillard appreciates what the in-season tournament brings to the table

When Adam Silver announced the latest development to the regular season, there were mixed reactions from everyone everywhere. As far as Lillard is concerned, the in-season tournament provided an added incentive for all included. “It give you something to play for, and they give it gives some new excitement … like, it’s people want to see like, a Cinderella,” he said.

The biggest motivation is, of course, the prize money and trophy. $500,000 for each player of the winning team is no joke. Especially for players who do not have max contracts or make money as their more famous counterparts do, this opportunity helps them make some extra money. Not to mention the credibility they provide to the players.

Another aspect of this is that the in-season tournament is more of a trial to see just how successful this can be in the long run. Some commended the bold move, which bore a striking resemblance to soccer play-in tournaments. Others were more skeptical as to how it would all work together.

It would seem like Dame has an opinion on that, too.

Lillard’s take on the benefits in-season brings the league

Dame compares the in-season tournament to “Cinderella”. Basketball is second only to football in terms of popularity. With the NBA athletes garnering more attention worldwide, the sport has also gained international recognition.

Read More: “Didn’t Know if It Was a Real Thing”: Damian Lillard’s Hilarious Reaction to Getting Inducted Into NBA Top-75 List

Not to mention, the presence of foreign nationals in the league has paved the way for higher consumption of NBA outside of the USA. And with this fame and popularity also comes the challenge of keeping them interested in it. The in-season tournament can be categorized into this group. While it provides benefits for teams and players, the tournament also serves to benefit the league in terms of ratings.

As Damian says, ” It’s kind of like the play in, you know. I’m sure the ratings on the play in, it’s like high stakes.” According to the Associated Press, ESPN already has seen an increase of 55% in viewership as opposed to the ones in comparable windows last year.

Clearly, what Silver had hoped to achieve with regard to the In-Season Tournament is working out in the league’s favor. They will definitely have to hop on another serious discussion towards the end of it to work out the imperfections. But the NBA is clearly moving in the right direction.

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