The remembrance of Damian Lillard firing off his series-winning three over then Thunder forward Paul George have ran through the heads of Trail Blazers and Thunder numerous times since the guard sent OKC off in game 5 of the 2019 playoffs. One of those people has been Damian Lillard himself, as he is set to release his new Adidas shoe in an exclusive OKC color way, centered around his big-time shot two years ago.
Nick DePaula of ESPN tweeted on Sunday night that the 30-year-old would be releasing his OKC shoe in the near future.
The shoes primary, secondary, and tertiary colors match the Thunder’s 18-19 statement jersey to a tee, the exact jersey the Thunder ran out with in the final game of the series. To compliment the color scheme, the insoles include his game stat line of 50 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.
For Damian Lillard, this has been the pinnacle of his individual-career to this point, as the Blazers playoff success continued, advancing to their first Western Conference Championship since the 1999-2000 season.
The reception to Lillard shoe has been a mixed bag. Trail Blazers fans alongside much of the NBA community has found humor in the near trolling attempt by the Blazers guard. Oklahoma City fans on the other hand have appeared to view things in two different perspectives.
One end of the argument shows complete distaste at the shoe, not just due to the shot, but also the repercussions it had on the franchise. As if you recall, that game marked the closure to both Paul George and Russell Westbrook’s time in Oklahoma City, as both members were traded in the months after. In fact, everyone was shipped off, the lone Thunder player from that night who is currently on the team is Hamidou Diallo, who was a rookie back then. The other side of the story shows fans feeling salty (though they may not want to admit it,) but also gracious for Lillard’s impact on the Thunder franchise. Lillard shot started the dominoes that led to today’s modern-day Oklahoma City Thunder, and without being knocked out in 2019, they may have never come to fruition.
Damian Lillard will be facing off against the Thunder on Monday night, we will see if he uses that opportunity to debut his on the hardwood.