Long before Weber State chose him, Damian Lillard chose Weber State … in a video game, that is. As a youngster, he didn’t know much about the Wildcats, only that they were the underdogs, and that he wanted to help them win. And he did, multiple times, on the video screen and eventually on the hardwood.

After an illustrious career at WSU, Damian was drafted No. 6 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers. He took the NBA by storm, and was named the 2012-13 Rookie of the Year on a unanimous vote, only the fourth player in league history to do so.

“The biggest thing with the Weber State program is how they helped me develop as a man. Every minute I was here, they pushed me to get better: pushing me in the classroom to be a better student first and a better basketball player last. There was no special treatment.”