How NBA All-Star Damien Lillard Taps into His Rapper Persona to Collaborate with Oakley, Adidas, and Other Brands
4 min read
Artist and brand partnerships are increasingly becoming common in the music industry, allowing musicians to expand their reach and target broader audiences. In some cases, collaborating with brands also helps musicians access another platform for creativity and self-expression, such as the case with Beyoncé.
The award-winning American singer and songwriter famously collaborated with the fashion house Balmain for a couture collection inspired by all sixteen tracks of her seventh studio album, RENAISSANCE. In the same way the tracks masterfully mix genres with Beyoncé’s lyrics about confidence and self-empowerment, the collaborative Renaissance Couture line features pieces that brilliantly blend together Balmain’s house signatures with unique textures and materials. For example, an ensemble of a metal bustier, leather skirt, and spiked bracelets references the unnerving and upbeat I’M THAT GIRL.
Similarly, for NBA star-turned-rapper Damien Lillard, brand collaborations serve as an avenue to showcase his creativity and skills off the court. Continue reading to learn more about Lillard’s rap and hip-hop career, and how his athletic and musical worlds intersect when working with top brands.
Introducing Damien Lillard a.k.a Dame D.O.L.L.A.
Aside from playing as the point guard for the Milwaukee Bucks, Damien Lillard—nicknamed “Dame Time” within the NBA community—has also dabbled in music through his rap alter ego “Dame D.O.L.L.A.,” which stands for Different On Levels the Lord Allows. Under this stage name, he released his first studio album, The Letter O, in 2016, which earned him a spot on the Billboard 200 chart.
His succeeding albums, Confirmed (2017) and Big D.O.L.L.A. (2019), charted on the US Indie, while his most recent album, Different on Levels the Lord Allowed (2020), featured top artists like Snoop Dogg and Raphael Saadiq. Dame D.O.L.L.A. has also been active in the music as a featured artist, with his most recent release being a musical collaboration with the Hong Kong-based boyband Mirror. The 12-member Cantonese pop group released the English-language track Day 0, featuring Dame D.O.L.L.A., to signal their foray into the hip-hop genre and the global stage.
Beyond collaborating with other artists, Lillard has also been growing his rapper persona by working with brands that acknowledge his versatility as an athlete and an artist, as outlined in the next section.
Dame D.O.L.L.A’s top brand collaborations
Oakley eyewear campaign
As a performance eyewear brand, Oakley’s sunglasses are geared towards outdoor-oriented lifestyles, with signature styles like the shield-like Radar EV Path and wraparound Flak 2.0 frames being popular options for running. The brand’s frames are also customisable and available with lens options like prescription and Prizm Polarized to meet wearers’ needs for clear vision and increased visibility.
Interestingly, Lillard’s eyewear campaign with Oakley recognises not only his influence as a pro basketball player but also his career as a recording artist. For the second iteration of the Signature Series Latch Panel in October 2024, the Oakley ambassador launched a spoken word track that illustrates his intersecting worlds on the court and in the studio and an eyewear design whose elements combine his love for both music and basketball.
Adidas signature Dame sneakers
NBA players often collaborate with athletic footwear brands, with Lillard being no exception. However, his brand partnership with Adidas highlights not just his basketball career but also his musical persona through a signature sneaker line.
The low-cut Dame X was recently released under the Adidas Dame line to represent Lillard’s 10th collaborative sneaker with the athletic brand. One of its two striking colourways honours Lillard’s alter ego by being named ‘Dolla Red.’ Meanwhile, one of the previous collections, Dame 7 EXPTLY, included the Dame D.O.L.L.A. shoes, a Lightstrike midsole specifically designed to give credit to Lillard’s acclaim on the court and in the recording booth.
Tissot PRX special edition
Lastly, in February 2024, the luxury watch brand Tissot partnered with Lillard to release an exclusive version of its popular PRX model. The special timepiece elevates the signature elements of the PRX, such as the Powermatic 80 movement and gold PVD casing, with symbols of Lillard’s respective basketball and musical careers, such as the “0” embossing for his jersey number and engravings that spell out DAME, in reference to his rapper name, Dame D.O.L.L.A.
Clearly, these brand collaborations attest to the fact that Damien Lillard is highly regarded in the increasingly intersecting worlds of music and sports.
::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.
