Damian Lillard has officially said goodbye to the Portland Trail Blazers.

After years of questions, speculation, and rumors, Lillard has moved on to the Milwaukee Bucks.

His departure from the Blazers wasn’t without its drama and upset feelings but Lillard still holds the team and city close to his heart.

Speaking with Chris Haynes on NBA TV, Lillard revealed that his affinity for Portland remains.

“Even today, I love Portland, I love the Trail Blazers organization. I don’t regret any of my time in the past couple of years. I loved going to work every day,” Lillard said.

My @NBATV sitdown with Milwaukee Bucks new star guard @Dame_Lillard: “I’m supposed to be here and I’m excited for what’s to come.” pic.twitter.com/AsMzbZ8UDe

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 2, 2023

This is the sort of response that people expected from Lillard.

Throughout the entirety of his career, his love of Portland could never be questioned.

Through thick and thin, he remained loyal to the team and consistently said he believed in them.

There just came a point when his desire to win a championship became bigger than his desire to stay in Portland.

In terms of NBA trades, his move from the Blazers went about as well as it could go.

Lillard didn’t end up with the Miami Heat like he wanted but all sides of the trade seemingly walked away happy and Lillard re-committed his love for the city and the organization.

Even though Portland fans are very hurt to see him go, it sounds like they are going to still wish him the best in the years ahead.

There have been much messier breakups throughout NBA history.

The current drama between James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers is a prime example of that.

Lillard is ready for the next chapter of his NBA career but he is still very fond of the place where it all started.

The post Damian Lillard Discusses Where He Stands With The Trail Blazers appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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As the MLB community is well-aware, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier when he became the first Black player in MLB in 1947.

As important for the game as that moment was, Robinson wasn’t the only one breaking barriers.

Frank Robinson did it, 49 years ago, by becoming the first Black manager in MLB history.

The Cleveland Guardians, then Indians, gave him the job.

“49 years ago today, Frank Robinson broke racial barriers by becoming MLB’s first Black manager with the Cleveland Indians,” Bally Sports Cleveland wrote via Twitter.

49 years ago today, Frank Robinson broke racial barriers by becoming MLB’s first Black manager with the Cleveland Indians. #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/slNAhOn4gV

— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) October 3, 2023

It happened on this day, but in 1974.

It’s mind-blowing that it took so long for the league to finally realize that a Black manager should receive the same opportunities as a White one and that their ability to lead an MLB team should be the one being evaluated.

Robinson was probably the right person for the job and for the specific context that came with it: he was a man of a fiery personality that wasn’t going to let the circumstances affect him.

In the end, his career as a manager wasn’t better than what he did as a player, but that doesn’t mean it was bad.

He did win more than 1,000 games as a skipper, retiring with a 1,065-1,176 record and a .475 winning percentage.

He was the American League Manager of the Year in 1989 with the Baltimore Orioles.

With Cleveland, he managed for three seasons, from 1975 to 1977, losing his job after just 57 games that year.

Still, it was a huge step in the history of the game and for Black people in baseball looking for opportunities.

The post Guardians Recall Important MLB History On This Day appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Michael Jordan is unanimously known as possibly the greatest NBA player of all time.

Even for people who have never watched sports, his name is synonymous with greatness.

Not only did he win six NBA championships, but he also found great success in the business world too.

According to Front Office Sports, via NBACentral, Jordan is the first athlete to make the Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans with a net worth that is more than $3 billion.

Michael Jordan is the first athlete to make the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans

He’s now worth $3B

(Via @FOS ) pic.twitter.com/dvGml9y9Du

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 2, 2023

Jordan has amassed this huge sum through a bunch of very successful and smart business deals.

He has created endorsements and arrangements with companies such as McDonald’s, Gatorade, Hanes, and, of course, Nike.

Nike is the biggest and most meaningful business relationship for Jordan.

Back in the 1980s, Jordan was signed to the shoe company when it was still not very well known.

Over the years, Nike has become a juggernaut, partly due to the power of the Jordan brand.

Jordan recently signed away his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets and that only added to his insanely deep bank account.

Again and again over the years, Jordan has made some expert business decisions and it has made him successful in the world of business.

Being a professional athlete and billionaire is not common.

Even though stars from the NBA, NFL, and other leagues earn a lot of cash, very few have reached that threshold.

Jordan is part of an exclusive club featuring LeBron James and Tiger Woods.

But Jordan did it long before those two.

There is no doubt that more and more athletes will become billionaires.

As contracts grow larger, other players will soon be on the Forbes 400.

But for now, Jordan is once again in a league of his own.

The post Michael Jordan Has Reached A Major Financial Milestone appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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