MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks are getting ready to welcome their newest star, Damian Lillard, to Fiserv Forum and fans couldn’t be more excited.
James Flippin is a barber at Gee’s Clippers in Milwaukee. He’s been a Bucks fan all of his life. Flippin said he knew adding six-time All Star Lillard was a possibility, but was still a bit surprised to actually see it happen.
“You know we are from Milwaukee, a small market, so something like that happening is really big,” said Flippin. “It’s a joy. We just have to put it into fruition now and see what happens.”
Flippin believes Lillard will bring a lot of energy to the city.
“It’s been 20 to 25 years since we had a two-tier type of player, so I think it’s going to be dope,” said Flippin. “A lot of jerseys are going to be sold. You are going to see a lot of Giannis and Dame jerseys. I think the Deer District is in for another fun year this year, so I hope we get back to the championship.”
Michael Carrao is another Bucks fan who is shocked and excited Lillard is joining the team. Carraro bought a Lillard Portland Trailblazers jersey two weeks ago. Now, he has modified it a little.
“It was actually a vintage pop up shop in the city that I went to a couple weeks ago, and they had this jersey on sale for $15, and I guess I just manifested it, like maybe Dame would be a Buck one day and we can work a little magic and make it a Bucks jersey,” said Carrao.
Carrao believes Lillard will make a big difference to the team.
“Everything from three-point shooting, to spacing for Giannis,” Carrao said. “Pairing him with a guy with Giannis’s capabilities. You have two high-level scorers, a point guard and a power forward. I think they are going to mesh well. He’s going to facilitate. I can’t be more excited.”
The Bucks are inviting fans to the Deer District at 2 p.m. on Saturday for a rally to welcome their newest star. It will be Lillard’s first-time experiencing Fiserv Forum as a member of the Bucks.
“It’s really important for us to really make a great first impression on players when they come to town,” said Dustin Godsey, the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for the Bucks and Fiserv Forum. “To show them the type of city that Milwaukee is. These will be scenes that will be seen throughout the world of the kinds of fans that we have in Milwaukee, and the kind of support that we get.”
Carrao and Flippin plan to be there.
“I got to get there early,” Carrao said. “I’m sure a lot of people will be there. I have never seen a city so into a player coming into Milwaukee, so it should be fun.”
“I think the more talk they give us, the better we will be because now we are giving people something to talk about, and with Dame being here, we will be on the talks a little bit more,” added Flippin. “They will start hearing from us a little bit more.”