Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trailblazers looks on during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., Nov. 18, 2018. Will Newton/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

  • Damian Lillard at one point in January averaged more than 45 points and 10 assists per game
  • Damian Lillard's biggest win for the month was when he beat the LA Lakers during Kobe Bryant's tribute night
  • Lebron James still won the Player of the Month award 

Damian Lillard has dominated the entire January with his stellar performance. At one stretch he was averaging more than 45 points and 10 assists per game. He has led the Portland Trail Blazers into a fighting chance for an eighth seed in the Western Conference. His team is currently at ninth place with a 23-27 win-loss record.

His historic hot shooting got the attention of the entire league, as his highest scoring output was 61 big points against the Golden State Warriors. He even put up a triple-double against his respected rival Russell Westbrook and the Houston Rockets. Lillard tallied 36 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.

The All-Star point guard even showed up in one of the biggest nights of the season. His team faced against the LA Lakers at Staples Center during the night of their tribute to Kobe Bryant. In a game where they were honoring the life of the Black Mamba, Damian Lillard gave the strongest tribute of playing at an elite level. He marked 48 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists and 2 steals in a victory.

But with the high-level basketball Damian Lillard has been putting up, it wasn’t enough to garner him the player of the month award. It was LA Lakers Lebron James who took the recognition. This sparked questions from fans and reporters on why Damian Lillard was snubbed out of the award.

Damian Lillard’s historic numbers fell short of winning the award to Lebron James’ accomplishments in January. It was in this month he overtook Kobe Bryant in the all-time NBA scoring list. He’s currently at third with the most points in the NBA. His averages for the month were 25.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game on 50.4% shooting from the field.

He is also the first Laker to win the player of the month award since Kobe Bryant did it in February of 2013. This is Lebron James’ 39th time to be awarded Player of the Month.

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