Damian Lillard’s historic playoff performance could have been because of his shoes…

Damian Lillard debuts adidas Dame 9 vs. Pacers

The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Indiana Pacers 109-94 to take Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs series, a resounding win for the 2021 champs as they did it without their franchise star in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Their other franchise star, however, showed up to play as Damian Lillard led the Bucks to victory from the opening quarter. He also debuted his latest signature adidas Dame 9 sneakers and turned-in a classic “Dame-Time” performance. Check out our Sneakers news for more upcoming releases and breaking content!

Damian Lillard opened Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs by scoring all of his 35 total points in the first half, setting a Bucks’ franchise playoff record. In the first quarter, Lillard had 19 points to the Bucks’ team total of 21 as he scored the most points in a playoff quarter since 1997. His performance set the tone from the opening tip and it led to a confident win for the Milwaukee Bucks at home.

The performance could’ve been all in the shoes as Damian Lillard debuted his latest signature adidas Dame 9, the ninth shoe in his long line with the brand. The shoes were first unveiled during 2024 All-Star Weekend and have yet to be released to the public. His newest colorway was part of a four-shoe Playoff pack adidas made for stars in Anthony Edwards, James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, and Lillard.

The adidas Dame 9 is a low-cut basketball shoe made from adidas’ most cutting edge technology in traction and support. The shoes feature a molded synthetic upper with contrasting slits for the adidas three stripes along the upper. As with many current adidas basketball models, the shoes feature a boot underlay and lockdown lacing for maximum comfort. We see these in a similar “Purple Burst” colorway to the shoes James Harden was wearing against the Mavericks.

While no official release has been announced on the adidas Dame 9, they have been confirmed to be releasing to the public sometime in 2024. If it were up to a guess, I’d put my money on seeing these drop sometime after the Playoffs. Dame Lillard’s adidas Dame 8 is currently available at adidas and select adidas retailers, so keep yourself stocked while we wait patiently for these to drop.

The Milwaukee Bucks host the Indiana Pacers for Game 2 of their series on April 23, 2024 on NBA TV.