Damian Lillard was an underrated kid from Oakland who became Portland's franchise player, and his community work has one steady theme: showing up for young people the way he once needed someone to show up for him. In Portland classrooms and back home in the East Bay, his message to students never changes: show up, work hard and be kind.
The RESPECT Program
Lillard started his RESPECT anti-bullying platform in 2013 after sitting down with Portland school leaders to find the campuses that most needed a stronger culture. Partnering with Madison, Parkrose and Roosevelt high schools, the program asks students to live by three pledges: Show Up, Work Hard and Be Kind.
Rewards for Doing Right
Through RESPECT, teachers and counselors celebrate students who live the pledges with Trail Blazers tickets, gear and special events with Lillard, including tours of the team practice facility. The partner schools have reported real progress in behavior, engagement, attendance and tardiness.
Never Forgetting Brookfield
Back home in Oakland, Lillard hosted community picnics with food, games and music at Brookfield Park for years after winning Rookie of the Year, returning to the neighborhood that raised him. He also runs Team Lillard, his AAU program, and an offseason camp for overlooked college players chasing a professional shot.
The Damian Lillard Scholars
Announced at an Oakland High assembly in 2025, the Damian Lillard Scholars program funds $25,000 annual scholarships to Portland State University for students from nine East Bay high schools. The support goes beyond tuition, covering food, housing, clothing, textbooks and transportation, so money worries do not end a college dream.
Honored for the Work
Lillard won the 2018-19 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, the basketball writers' honor for outstanding community service, largely for RESPECT. He also received NBA Cares Community Assist Awards in 2018 and again in 2021, when pandemic-era video visits and RESPECT face masks kept the program close to students learning from home.
Become a Member of House of Mutombo
Robert "Bob" Bush and the Mutombo Coffee family are building a community that shows up for people. Join the House and stand with them.