Blazers' Damian Lillard Explains Experience Breaking News as an NBA Reporter

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard opened up about his foray into media reporting during an interview with The Athletic's Sam Amick.

Amick is used to breaking important NBA news, but Lillard turned the tables when he tweeted Sept. 7 that Amick was leaving USA Today to join The Athletic:

Speaking with Amick, Lillard explained how he saw the situation as an opportunity to essentially put a reporter in the shoes of a professional athlete:

"It was just a case of putting the shoe on the other foot. I think there's a lot of stuff that we go through as players, or a story might come out that might have a little bit of truth, but somebody adds (to it) or put their own spin on it or whatever. We don't have a chance to say, 'No, I don't want that to get out. Yeah, it happened, or yeah that's accurate but I don't really want that story to be told at the moment. I don't want to have to deal with that right now.' Our situation is just not considered a lot of times. So that was kind of what it was, just to put people on their toes, because I started getting a lot of messages from people (about media moves)."

Reporting on Amick's move wasn't the first time Lillard put his reporter hat on. He also broke the news of Chris Haynes' transition from ESPN.com to Yahoo Sports earlier this month:

Sports fans understandably expect to be kept up to date on all of the breaking news and rumors.

As Lillard said, though, that expediency can sometimes carry real consequences for the athlete(s) involved. In some cases, players are made aware of trades or roster moves through the media's reporting before they were formally alerted by their respective teams.

"I'm just basically showing you how it feels to be vulnerable, I guess, or to be at somebody else's mercy about something that you might not want out," Lillard said to Amick.

Even regarding matters that are less personal in nature, it's impossible for fans to understand how an athlete feels when facing a major career move. Detroit Pistons star Blake Griffin famously had a lighthearted reaction to his trade from the Los Angeles Clippers, but the five-time All-Star likely felt different emotions internally as he left the only NBA team he had ever known.

Lillard went on to tell Amick he believes the media landscape has changed with the growth of online outlets and social media, saying, "It's almost like anybody can report anything now."

Watching Lillard's foray into the world of journalism was entertaining, and the larger point he attempted to make is worth considering.