Effortless Ways to Bid Farewell to an Iconic NBA Superstar

Sam Mowe

Mowe is the publisher of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. He resides in Portland.

I had the incredible privilege of witnessing the most unforgettable sports moment live. It was the playoffs, and Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers sealed the series with a 37-foot three-pointer at the buzzer against the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019. In that fleeting moment, Lillard shattered our expectations by opting for a deep shot instead of driving to the basket.

My brother and I, sitting in the nosebleed seats, instinctively reached for each other while never taking our eyes off the ball. The entire crowd held their breath in disbelief. When the ball swished through the net, an electric frenzy engulfed the arena. Strangers joined us in leaping and dancing, forming an exultant group embrace.

After the game, Lillard’s audacious move led his defender Paul George to famously label it as “a bad shot.” This moment, known as The Bad Shot, encapsulated the essence of sports: spontaneous and unpredictable occurrences that can lead to transcendent experiences. Andrew Cooper, author of “Playing in the Zone: Exploring The Spiritual Dimensions of Sports,” refers to this little-acknowledged power of sports as its “secret life.” Lillard’s iconic shot revealed this secret and stirred profound emotions among Rip City, the beloved fan base of the Blazers.

Lillard became synonymous with late-game heroics, earning the moniker “Dame Time.” Regardless of the deficit or the time remaining, Lillard always rose to the occasion. In these pressure-filled moments, the significance of time itself was unveiled. Time is always fleeting; it is what we do in those critical seconds that truly matters. Whether it was The Bad Shot, his breathtaking 71-point game, or his record-breaking performance in the NBA playoffs (hailed by Kevin Durant as a “spiritual experience”), Lillard never failed to remind the audience of his best when the stakes were highest.

But now, Dame Time has come to an end in Portland. After 11 seasons filled with improbable victories, Lillard has requested a trade and is now playing for the Milwaukee Bucks. As lifelong Blazer fans, bidding farewell to someone who has held such significance for us is a heart-wrenching task.

This departure carries additional weight due to Lillard’s loyalty to Portland, a rarity among NBA superstars. He repeatedly expressed his desire to remain with the team throughout his career and dared to dream of a championship for Rip City. “I can’t express my desire and how badly I want to win it,” Lillard once confided to The Athletic. “I want that more than anything, not just for the sake of winning a championship but to bring it to this city.”

As sports fans, we aren’t accustomed to our star players caring about the team as deeply as we do. It is perhaps this aspect of Lillard’s character, more than his on-court heroics, that makes saying goodbye so difficult. Nonetheless, while players come and go, it is the team that remains.

Some fans nowadays pledge allegiance to individual players rather than the team, but this approach has never resonated with me. The true joy of being a fan stems from experiencing the highs and lows of each season alongside the enduring spirit of the team. Just like in life, supporting our teams elicits a range of emotions – hope, promise, disappointment, and loss. And as Blazer fans, we’ve encountered our fair share of losses. But unlike life, there’s always next year.

Right after sinking his series-winning shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Lillard delighted fans and sparked a viral sensation by waving farewell to the opposing team. Like his shot, the wave was calm and collected. “The series was over, that was it,” Lillard remarked, revealing the emotions lurking behind his composed demeanor. “I was just waving goodbye to them.”

Seeking closure regarding Lillard’s departure, I recently purchased tickets to his first game back in Portland on January 31. I yearn to stand alongside Rip City and shower a Blazer legend with a thunderous ovation, paying tribute to the insights he gave us into the secret life of sports. Then, I hope to witness him succumb to a Blazer team that has suddenly, and surprisingly, become more mine than his. And finally, I want to bid farewell to Lillard – not with cold detachment like he did to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but as a testament to the unforgettable moments we shared – the Dame Time.