‘The fabric stays true’: Damian Lillard becomes general manager for Weber State basketball
NBA All-Star, WSU legend makes announcement at Alumni Classic
-
- Damian Lillard smiles as he mingles on the Swenson Gym court during the sixth biennial Weber State Basketball Alumni Classic on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Ogden.
-
- Damian Lillard smiles while signing an autograph during the sixth biennial Weber State Basketball Alumni Classic on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Ogden.
-
- Damian Lillard smiles as he reaches the court at the sixth biennial Weber State Basketball Alumni Classic on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Ogden.
-
- Weber State legend and all-NBA player Damian Lillard announces to the crowd in Swenson Gym that he’s taking a general manager role for WSU basketball at the sixth biennial Weber State Basketball Alumni Classic on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Ogden.
-
- Damian Lillard looks up at the next autograph seeker as part of the sixth biennial Weber State Basketball Alumni Classic on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Ogden.
-
- Damian Lillard looks over the crowd during the sixth biennial Weber State Basketball Alumni Classic on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Ogden.
OGDEN — After about 90 minutes of autograph signing, Damian Lillard took the mic at center court Saturday evening in Swenson Gym.
Simply by his presence, he’s the man of the moment in any of the six times he’s hosted the Weber State Basketball Alumni Classic. But this time he had a particular moment of his own to make.
He’s stepping into an active, official role for Weber State basketball as general manager, he announced.
“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 told the full gym that burst into a short cheer at his announcement. “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.”
Lillard confirmed a long-rumored, long-awaited piece of news some around the program have discussed for four months as a potential gamechanger for the Wildcats in the NIL landscape. More information about the role is expected to be announced at a later date.
“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 said. “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.”
Later in a news release, WSU said 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.”
In the release, Lillard said: “College athletics is constantly evolving, and building a strong program requires time, trust, and commitment. I believe in what this program represents and the culture that continues to grow at Weber State. The support of our community is vital to the program’s success, and I am committed to playing a greater role in that effort.
“This opportunity allows me to be even more involved in shaping the future of Weber State basketball.”
The role of general manager in college sports is fairly new, mostly emerging in the NIL era, and can mean different things for different programs. Typically, though, general managers have hands in roster building, player retention and elevating the player experience. Many also lead fundraising efforts and, for some current or former athletes, especially, that can include their own contributions.
The most high-profile athlete GMs include retired Andrew Luck for Stanford football and still-active Steph Curry for his alma mater, Davidson men’s basketball.
Speaking in a news conference after Saturday’s event, Duft said Lillard’s No. 1 action item in his role had already been recruiting.
“We want to bring in the best players we can and, even though he wasn’t officially the GM during this recruiting process in the spring, the guys we were actively recruiting, we were sending him clips, he was sending us guys, so it started there,” Duft said. “With every program, player acquisition, good players is a premium. So that was the first thing.
“But yet, I will say this, and emphatically — we’re still not going to compromise on character and who these guys are. That is still really important in our program … and then you’ve got a guy like Dame, who that’s important to him, too. So that’s always going to be the No. 1 thing. We’ll get good players but we want to make sure we have the right people.”
Lillard said the general manager idea came about organically through discussions with Duft and athletic director Tim Crompton stretching back at least 18 months. Sources outside the athletic administration say Crompton did a lot of relationship building to help it come together.
The nine-time NBA All-Star described how being a veteran in the pro ranks was part of what made good timing to become general manager at Weber State. That’s come through his own career, running his own Formula Zero elite camp for high school players and current collegians, and in other ways.
“I’ve been able to be around a lot of things, and I’ve learned a lot. I think I come back this time just with a better understanding, just knowing a lot of ways I can assist the program, assist the players, assist Coach Duft now that I’ve had these experiences. It was good timing for that,” Lillard said. “Another way for me to kind of stamp myself in there as a resource to the program.
“The first thing is to make sure the fabric stays true to what it’s always been: having good people and high standards, showing up the right way on campus, being on time to class, being good students, being good people, respectful, coachable, hardworking, and ultimately winning. That’s really what it’s about, just creating ways to encourage that even more and really just create a powerhouse.”
Two weeks ago, Lillard signed a three-year contract to return to the Portland Trail Blazers but he’ll spend the first one sidelined and rehabbing an Achilles tendon injury. His summer of homecomings has, he said, given him a chance to step back and see where life has taken him since becoming a professional.
“Being in Portland, these people really appreciate me not just … for what I’ve done on the floor but they appreciate my presence in the city, because of what I bring as a person,” he said. “And when I come here (Ogden), it’s the same.
“This summer has been … the first time where I’ve been able to kind of take a deep breath and just see what’s happened over the last 13 years of my life. … I can just see what’s been done and what contributed to all of my success.”
