Former NBA star Trevor Ariza recently appeared on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast to reveal some of his exciting insights on the 2023-24 NBA campaign. In the interview, Ariza also talked about Damian Lillard, with whom he shared the court briefly in 2020, during his stint with the Portland Trail Blazers.
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The 2009 NBA champion spoke about how Dame’s loyalty to Portland had given him an identity and a legendary status in the franchise’s history. In the context of Lillard’s recent trade to the Milwaukee Bucks, Ariza and Sharpe compared the situation in Milwaukee to Kevin Garnett’s move to the Boston Celtics, after sticking with the Minnesota Timberwolves for 12 seasons.
Both Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry are exceptional shooters, both being ranked among the greatest shooters in NBA history. Interestingly, Lillard has accomplished the incredible achievement of hitting 10 or more threes in a playoff game, which even Stephen Curry hasn’t been able to accomplish. In fact, Dame has done it twice, creating the record for most threes in a playoff game.
Therefore, when Shannon Sharpe asked Ariza, who would he choose between Steph Curry and Damian Lillard to take the last shot if his life was on the line, the former Trail Blazers star unhesitatingly took Lillard’s name, “Since Steph has been whooping my a** for so long, I’m going with Dame. I’ve been in the trenches with Dame so I’m going with Dame.”
It’s clear that Ariza believes that even though Curry is the greatest shooter of all time, Dame Dolla is the coldest assassin under pressure during crunch time. The conversation then moved to Lillard’s recent move to the Bucks.
Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo have formed a solid pairing on paper. However, despite several flashes of brilliance, the pair still seems to be struggling to find a good chemistry on the hardwood. Trevor Ariza stated that he believes that Lillard missing a crucial part of the Bucks’ training camp was an evident factor in the lack of chemistry. Perhaps getting through the ‘ugly’ and tough times later in the season could be the key to forming a solid pairing between Giannis and Dame.
Damian Lillard believes he is better than Stephen Curry when he is on the court
Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry have often been compared as two of the greatest sharpshooters in NBA history. Putting them into comparison, Dame’s three-point record in the playoffs definitely gives him an edge over Chef Curry. However, amidst all the online debates pitting the two point guards in comparison, Lillard refrains from ranking fellow league colleague Stephen Curry above himself.
Appearing on Underdog Fantasy’s It is What It Is, Lillard ranked Magic Johnson as the best point guard of all time. However, while speaking of Stephen Curry, he asserted himself as a better player than the 4x NBA champion on court.
“I think if Steph played in a offense like me, where it was required to have to have the ball more, we would get to see him do more point guard stuff….I don’t think nobody is better than me when I get on the court.”
Lillard believes he is currently the best active point guard in the league. However, he also gives his flowers to Curry, Kyrie Irving, and Russel Westbrook as the best point guards he’s played against during his NBA career.
