Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook were two of the most prolific point guards back in the late 2020s. Both had different approaches to the game and dominated the Western Conference in their own fashion. Touted against one another, a rivalry formed between the two. Though Dame or Russ barely spoke about their beef publicly, Lillard’s mother did speak on her son’s behalf back in 2019.
Advertisement
Gina Johnson made an appearance on the Raising Fame podcast over four years ago. During the episode, Johnson was asked to give her thoughts on her son’s iconic 50-foot game-winner that knocked the Thunder out of the playoffs.
“Well, I was just happy he made it. Anytime you see anybody make them last-minute shots, they get to be dynamic. Cause I was just happy to see him do that because Westbrook was pushing his buttons that game.”
Gina Johnson on parenting @Dame_Lillard through his rivalry with @russwest44 and Dame’s historic shot versus the @okcthunder #RaisingFame Listen: https://t.co/2W4aSNKMSE pic.twitter.com/JCPA9GFvP3
— Raising Fame (@raising_fame) February 29, 2020
The Portland Trail Blazers were matched up with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. And all eyes were on the two All-Star point guards. The Blazers jumped to a 2-0 lead followed by a win by the Thunder. Portland took Game 4 and had a commanding 3-1 lead. Johnson narrated how Westbrook was visibly frustrated and was losing his composure a little during that series.
“He was really pushing his buttons and I didn’t want him to get out of character…You know, I’ve seen him losing a little bit of that composure.”
The Trail Blazers were a game away from advancing to the second round and it all came down to Game 5. The entire series was an epic battle between the two star guards and it got heated as each game passed.
Lillard wasn’t one to start anything, however, he made sure to end what Westbrook started. In the end, Dame hit the game-winning shot and waved the Thunder goodbye.
Lillard opens up on his battles with Westbrook
The rivalry between Lillard and Westbrook slowly formed over the years. And it finally came to an end in the 2019 playoffs. Lillard’s game-winning buzzer-beater was so monumental that it ended up sending the Thunder into rebuilding mode that very off-season.
As mentioned above, Dame and Russ rarely spoke about their beef. However, Lillard did open up on those battles with Brodie while on the Club520 podcast with Jeff Teague.
“Honestly, them was the most fun. Like, with Russ my first 5-6 years he was the bully. And Russ, it didn’t matter if it was a big matchup, if somebody was hurt and he was playing against the backup. He didn’t care. He tried to do it to everybody.”
Lillard backed up to his rookie year when Westbrook would try to show him up every chance he got.
“When I was like a rookie, second year. It was like, he used to try to give me 50 every time. He would be shooting on me so much that like KD would be getting mad, like, ‘Pass the ball.’ And once I realized it was like that, that’s when I started taking it personal.”
Eventually, Dame struck back at Brodie, ending Westbrook’s dominance with the rise of Dame Time.
