Damian Lillard on All-Star Game snub: I just felt disrespected

Damian Lillard was not selected for the All-Star Game and he felt disrespected.

The Blazer superstar spoke with The Oregonian saying: “I'm definitely going to take it personal. I said I'd be pissed off about it. And I am. I just felt disrespected. Because I play the game the right way, I play unselfishly, I play for my team to win games and I produce at a high level. I think what I bring to the game as a person, my makeup mentally, how I am toward my teammates, how I am toward the media, how I am toward fans; I think what an All-Star represents in this league, and what you would want people to look at as an All-Star, I think I make up all those things. For me to be having the type of season that I'm having, which is better than any one that I've had before, and my team to be third in the Western Conference, I just see it as disrespect. I'm not one of those guys that's going to say, 'Oh, I should be in over this guy or that guy.' I'm not a hater. I've got respect for each guy that made the roster. And I think they deserve to (make the team). But at the same time, I feel really disrespected, and that's just honestly how I feel”.

Then he went on Instagram (deleting the post):

That post was accompanied by the caption below:

"I just want to thank the coaches who feel I wasn't good enough, the fans that didn't think I was good enough and Adam Silver also for not thinking I was good enough. This isn't unfamiliar territory for me, it's actually what my life has been inspired by. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed or that I don't feel disrespected but it's not too much to handle. Not the first or last guy to be snubbed. 'You should have been there' isn't good enough for me. But anyway, the reason I'm in these shoes is because I've always use the hand I was dealt to my advantage... A wise man once told me... 'It ain't always gone be peaches and cream but somebody has to pay for the reason it's not ... One way or another' ... #ImThankful #Real #NonAllStar #RipCity #YellowTape".