The consensus from Damian Lillard’s teammates and coaches at Weber State: Nobody worked harder on the court to get where he is today.



And also, nobody worked harder to avoid spending money off it. That’s right: Damian Lillard was comically frugal. He loved rapping, water balloon fights and Burger King during his four years at Weber State, and with a singular focus, he willed himself into becoming the sixth pick in the NBA draft.



This is the story about Lillard before he was famous.



Randy Rahe, head coach: I remember when we took him to the arena on his recruiting visit. He ran down the steps, got a ball and started shooting. We couldn’t get him out of the gym that first night. I mean, we had dinner to go to; we had other stuff planned. I said, “Screw it. If this is what he wants to do, let’s just stay here.” So we stayed in the gym for a long time.



Trevor Morris, center: He came in as a freshman, and I...