Damian Lillard is proving that being a good teammate extends beyond what happens on the court.
After a photograph of Lillard’s former teammate, Caleb Swanigan, went viral because of his weight gain, some people poked fun, while others seemed genuinely concerned.
Lillard addressed both groups via an Instagram comment.
“If you’re gonna post this shit with real concern then that’s cool. But don’t ask “how does one go from this to that”, he’s clearly having some real life issues,” Lillard wrote.
The image that went viral is from Swanigan’s court appearance on Monday, where he pleaded guilty to a marijuana possession charge. Along with current life issues, Swanigan has struggled with obesity his entire life. Before his eighth grade year, he weighed as much as 400 pounds. Also, his father weighed 500 pounds at the time of his death when Caleb was only three years old.
Knowing this, Dame urged trolls to have some empathy when it comes to critiquing an athlete’s life.
”That’s how,” he added. “You don’t know what it is he’s going through to cause such a drastic change.”
