“There are certain rules in the experience of successful athletes.”
Damian Lillard has a passion for coaching. That said, he’s still not conscious of his post-retirement days. He set up a basketball camp called ‘Formula Zero’ and is passionate about sharing his experiences and learnings with teenage players.
Speaking at the start of this year’s Formula Zero, Lillard said: “There are certain rules that many people have taught me throughout my life. That’s why I named the camp ‘Formula’ (mathematical formula). I want to pass that on to the younger generation.”
What is “Zero”? It has the meaning of starting from zero, and it is also Lillard’s uniform number.
Lillard is one of the top star players in the NBA and has an “ultra” name in Portland. He’s used his popularity to set up camps, yet he hates being seen as ‘the one with everything’. Lillard argues that he is where he is today because of the good lessons he has learned in his life, not because of his natural talent, and that anyone can imitate them.
“A few years ago, at a workout, a group of athletes had the opportunity to talk about their experiences. I thought it would be meaningful if I could pass it on to the next generation.I thought I wasn’t great enough to teach something, but as I took my time thinking about it, I wanted to pass on what I had learned from various people. It happened.”
“The coaches I’ve been taught, the people who have made an impact on my life, the people who have shared something with me, the people who have given me new ideas about who I should be. They made me what I am. I was successful not because of talent, everyone has talent, good character, good ambition, selfless, humble and disciplined. Throughout my life, I’ve had a lot of people push me to do that.”
That’s why the coach in Formula Zero is Lillard’s coach.
There is no success in the NBA without talent. But Lillard is trying to show younger generations that his talent isn’t enough. “Even if you’re a talented player, you’re going to worry about what’s going to happen next. Even if you’re successful, you’ll still be criticized. It’s normal to be confused when you’re a teenager. That kind of pressure. will drive them into a corner.That’s why talent alone is not enough.I want to help those kids.”
What he wants to do at this camp is to ‘push his back’ like he used to do.
“I hope that this camp will have a positive impact on the lives of young people, and hopefully influence them to improve and make their parents’ lives easier.”
