Could Dame Time be on the clock for the NCAA?
Probably not, but the idea was posed on Tuesday in a social media post by Portland Trail Blazers legend Damian Lillard.
Lillard has a little time on his hands right now. He's out with a torn Achilles, and so he apparently was brainstorming.
On X, he wrote: "So because I have a year of eligibility left… does that mean I can go back and play my last season at Weber State before I retire from basketball?"
Well, as much as this sounds fun, there's probably a holdup.
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Can Damian Lillard return to play at Weber State?
As the current rules are written, Lillard couldn't do this.
Yes, there have been players who are going back from the G League to play Division I basketball. But the NCAA rules use the words "actual and necessary expenses" to describe what is OK for an athlete to have received while maintaining college eligibility.
Lillard has earned more than $360 million in NBA salaries in his career. Even in the NIL era, the NCAA would not deem that as covering just "actual and necessary expenses."
Now, if Lillard wanted to disguise himself and change his name to Fabian Dillard, maybe he's got a chance.
Otherwise, Lillard will just have to settle for returning to health and getting back onto the floor for the Trail Blazers.
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