PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – Former Portland Path Blazer Damian Lillard returned to Portland in individual to obtain an award Friday evening.
Lillard was honored with the Invoice Walton Neighborhood Influence Award on the Maurice Lucas Basis’s annual gala on the Portland Hyatt.
The award is meant to acknowledge people who “have made vital contributions to their group by means of management, dedication and repair.”
The award was created this 12 months and is known as after former Path Blazer and longtime sportscaster Invoice Walton.
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In response to a spokesperson for the Lucas Basis, they may also honor the reminiscence and legacy of Invoice Walton on the occasion.
Lillard shined for the Blazers from 2012 to 2023. He’s getting into his second season with the Milwaukee Bucks.
David Lucas, son of Maurice Lucas, after whom the muse is known as, introduced the award.
“Invoice Walton has handed away and he was an important a part of the Maurice Lucas Basis, a member of our household and he attended each occasion we did since we began 14 years in the past,” David mentioned.
This 12 months, regardless that his father’s former teammate Walton can now not be there, he’ll all the time be remembered for what he did on and off the sector.
“We felt it was solely pure to launch a brand new award, the Invoice Walton Neighborhood Influence Award, and we felt that Damian Lillard was the primary in line to obtain this award,” David mentioned.
Lillard mentioned coming again to city to obtain the award was a no brainer.
“After I obtained the decision from David, I felt honored as a result of I spent a lot time in Portland taking part in for the Blazers behind somebody as nice as Invoice Walton, not simply on the court docket however off the court docket, he was a presence on this group,” Lillard mentioned.
The award goals to focus on an athlete, Walton, who was a pillar of the Portland group
“In any sport, for any individual on this earth, it’s not simply what you do as an athlete that issues, you will have a platform to present again, you will have a platform to do a number of issues,” Lucas mentioned. “Placing others earlier than your self is essential.”
“It speaks to who I’m, past making baskets, past what I do on the court docket, it makes it extra of an honor due to what it represents, it’s what I do for others, how you might be in the neighborhood, the way you elevate others up earlier than your self and that’s one thing I’m very happy with.”
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