Damian Lillard has received a fitting tribute from a star of a different sport. FC Barcelona football players Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal pulled off Lillard’s “Dame Time” celebration following Olmo’s match-winning goal against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.
Lillard has since reacted to their gesture, showing his respect for the football players in his Instagram story. The Milwaukee Bucks star reposted the celebration from Olmo and Yamal — who recently signed a $120 million deal with Barca — and added four salute emojis:
Olmo’s goal came eight minutes before the end of their match. After the goal, the FC Barcelona player pointed to his wrist, signaling that it is his time — similar to how Lillard does it when he drains a 3-pointer in the final stages of a basketball game.
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Olmo then commented about his celebration, explaining that he drew inspiration from Lillard, who is known as one of the NBA’s best clutch performers.
“There is a player that I really like in NBA basketball, Damian Lillard, and he does this celebration when he makes important baskets, and I like it a lot and I have taken it for football,” Olmo said.
Olmo’s imitation of “Dame Time” has also caught the attention of Lillard’s current NBA team Milwaukee Bucks. The team jumped to social media to acknowledge the football player’s tribute.
“Dame Time is international. ⌚️,” the Bucks’ X page wrote.
Lillard made a name for himself with the Portland Trail Blazers, lifting the team to numerous playoff appearances through countless clutch performances. That includes his game-winning fadeaway triple in the 2012 playoffs against the Houston Rockets and another in the 2019 playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Lillard was traded to the Bucks last year, pairing him with two-time NBA MVP and one-time champion Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Damian Lillard denies being a washed player
At 34 years old, Damian Lillard will enter his 13th season in the NBA, and only his second with the Milwaukee Bucks. The previous season did not stand out from his previous ones with the Trail Blazers, but Lillard remained solid with the Bucks, even though injuries bugged him throughout last year.
Lillard went down with an Achilles injury in their first-round affair versus the Indiana Pacers, costing the Bucks the series after also losing star Antetokounmpo from an injury. It was an unfortunate start for what was expected to be a potent offensive duo for the Bucks.
Acknowledging his injury history, Lillard remained upbeat about his health and career in an interview with Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal.
“I’m not a player that’s breaking down…“I live a clean, good, healthy life, so I can do it. I can do the same s**t I did two, three years ago. I can do it right now,” Lillard said.
The Bucks are again expected to be one of the league’s top contenders next season with LIllard and Giannis. However, Eastern Conference teams reinforced themselves in the offseason, making the conference tougher for any contending teams.
