Damian Lillard’s 3rd Album Big D.O.L.L.A.

Most people are accustomed to musicians writing screenplays or actors recording albums but despite Deion Sanders’ best efforts, there’s not a ton of athletes that have successfully crossed over to music. Though there are some spectacular failures.

Damian Lillard, All-Star point guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, recently dropped his 3rd album as Dame D.O.L.L.A. and was able to pound the vinyl with a backcourt that includes Lil Wayne, Jermih, Jadakiss, and G-Eazy.

What I find most impressive is that he understood he needed to prove himself as an artist independent of his athletic success:

“I think the No. 1 thing that people see is the route that I’ve taken in my music. I didn’t just jump in and say ‘listen to my music because I’m an NBA player.’ I took the route that any other aspiring artist would take, and I think that shows that I took it seriously, that I have real passion for the music and for hip-hop.”