Damian Lillard is the latest NBA player to take a management role with his alma mater, announcing Saturday that he will become the new general manager for the Weber State men’s basketball program (Twitter video link).
Lillard was on hand for the school’s annual Basketball Alumni Classic, according to Isaac Fisher of The Ogden Standard-Examiner. After signing autographs for about 90 minutes, he addressed the crowd with the news of his continuing relationship with the university.
“It’s something that, my relationship with coach (Eric) Duft and this program means a lot to me, and seeing the success of the program means a lot to me,” Lillard said. “I feel like I can do a lot to help the program be successful, to help the players even individually continue to grow their careers past college, that’s something that I’m passionate about.”
Few details of the position were announced, but Lillard’s association should bring prestige to the program, which competes in the Big Sky Conference and is coming off a 12-22 season. WSU issued a press release stating that Lillard “will work closely with the coaching staff and athletic department leadership to provide insight, mentorship, and guidance, using his experience at the collegiate and professional levels to elevate the program.”
Lillard is one of the most accomplished players in Wildcats history, twice earning conference Player of the Year honors before declaring for the draft in 2012. He had 1,934 points and left school as the second-leading scorer in Weber State history and No. 5 all-time in the Big Sky Conference.
“All of the resources that I have, I’ve got an opportunity to be able to create for the program, while they’re in the program and even after the program, it’s something I’m excited about,” Lillard added. “I’m looking forward to doing that work, looking forward to continue to lift up the university, lift up the program. It’s going to be fun.”
The new arrangement with Weber State continues an eventful offseason for Lillard, who had his contract waived and stretched by Milwaukee after suffering a torn Achilles in the playoffs. He wound up returning to the Trail Blazers on a three-year deal.
Stephen Curry
started the trend of active players helping to run college basketball programs in March when he became an assistant GM at Davidson. Since then, Trae Young (Oklahoma), Terance Mann (Florida State) and Patty Mills (Hawai’i) have accepted similar positions.
