In his days as a Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach, Kaleb Canales noticed that almost every player had something in common. When he worked them out outside official team events, they rarely wore Trail Blazers gear.
It wasn’t anything against the Trail Blazers or an indication of unhappiness; instead, it was a testament to where they’d been.
Canales once ribbed former Blazers’ star LaMarcus Aldridge about his habit of wearing Texas Longhorns shorts in the gym rather than Blazers’ ones. Aldridge replied that he’s a “Longhorn for life” and didn’t plan to change his habits anytime soon. Canales noticed the same tendency in fellow Portland star Brandon Roy, who often wore Washington Huskies’ gear on the floor.
“They always had a pride to them,” Canales told Basket Under Review. “I think that’s kinda underrated with these guys, man. Their college experiences are great in their career, man.”
Perhaps more than any player that came prior, Canales noticed the tendency to wear college gear in Trail Blazers’ star guard Damian Lillard. Lillard didn’t come from a program as recognizable as Texas or Washington, but he wasn’t afraid to let everyone know where he came from.
Canales recalls Lillard wearing Weber State “everything” around the practice facility.
Lillard walked around in Weber State sweaters. He wore T-shirts with the program’s logo on them. He wore its purple shorts while working out. Lillard knew he had the opportunity to put the program on the national map because of his platform as an NBA star, and he’s embraced it since the day he was drafted in 2012.
