Damian Lillard convinced his teammates to donate their playoff bonuses to Blazers support staff

Damian Lillard is the Trail Blazer’s superstar with a humble heart. A month ago, when Lillard dropped 59 points against the Jazz, instead of keeping the game ball, he sent it over to Joe Johnson. Johnson passed 20,000 career points on the same night, which, in Lillard’s eyes, was worth celebrating more than what he accomplished.

But Lillard isn’t just charitable to his peers. He’s also supportive of the Trail Blazers staff.

In an article from Comcast SportsNet Northwest about Lillard winning the Magic Johnson Award, writer Jason Quick revealed Lillard’s charitable gesture after Portland was eliminated in this year’s playoffs. He didn’t want to head into the offseason without convincing his teammates to donate their playoff bonuses to the team’s support staff, something he’d been trying to do for the past few seasons. This year, after a team vote, Lillard eventually got them to donate $223,864 to 25 staff members.

For Lillard, it’s about giving back to the people who’ve helped them throughout the season:

“We divide our playoff shares to give to the people who we work so closely with because they spend as much time away from their families as we do, and they are just about as invested as we are,’’ Lillard said after the season. “They also do as much as possible to make our lives easier, even if it makes theirs more difficult — all while making far less. So it’s a further way of showing appreciation beyond a thank you or a handshake.’’

This is absolutely awesome of Lillard to do this for his team. You can read more about Lillard’s generosity at Comcast SportsNet Northwest.