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The former Blazers star has already committed to the program for 27 students, 15 of whom have already been accepted at PSU.
A popular former Portland Trail Blazer has launched a scholarship program that could support 10 students should they attend Portland State University next fall.
Damian Lillard and PSU revealed the Damian Lillard Scholars program, which will back Oakland-area students who enroll at the Portland college. Lillard, the Blazers all-time leading scorer who was named one of the NBA’s top 75 players ever, hopes to “build a bridge for excellence between East Bay California high schools and PSU,” the school said in a release.
To do so, he’ll provide $25,000 per year, as well as pay for such expenses as food, housing, clothing, textooks and transportation. The funds, which will go to 10 students for four years will help defray the schools’s out-of-state tuition costs.
The school said others from Portland have offered to augment Lillard’s generosity by covering “any of the students’ unanticipated financial needs.”
So far, 27 Damian Lillard Scholar-eligible students have applied to Portland State for the 2025-26 academic year. Fifteen have been admitted. Six are from Oakland High School, where they joined Lillard to announce the program at a school assembly.
Lillard now plays for the Milwaukee Bucks. He grew up in Oakland, and still has strong ties to the Bay Area and to Portland.
“I’m so happy this scholarship has come to fruition,” Lillard said in the release. “Students from my community in the East Bay now have an opportunity to pursue a college education in my adopted community of Portland without financial burdens. My hope is that this scholarship becomes a stepping stone to a bright and promising future.”
PSU President Ann Cudd acknowledged Lillard’s status in Portland even though he was traded two seasons ago.
“Damian Lillard has heaped so much love on the city of Portland that PSU counts him as one of our own,” she said. “We are thrilled to partner with him to find pathways to a PSU education for students from his hometown.”
Nine East Bay High Schools Eligible for the Damian Lillard Scholars Program:
Students from these high schools are eligible for the scholarships: McClymonds High School, Castlemont High School, Oakland Technical HS, Skyline High School, Oakland High School, Fremont High School, Berkeley High School, Bishop O’Dowd High School and San Leandro High School.
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