During college, Damian Lillard married his sweetheart.
While attending Weber State University in Utah, the future NBA player met his future wife, Kay’la Hanson. He played with the Portland Trailblazers for 11 seasons before being moved to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023. They dated for over a decade before getting married in 2021.
The point guard, playing off his nickname “Dаme Time,” posted photographs from the wedding to Instagram with the hashtag #ItsAboutDameTime.
In a 2022 video for GQ, Lillard addressed the topic of marriage while answering fan questions.
“It meant a lot to me,” he said of his wedding, even though he hadn’t always seen the point of marriage. To put it simply, “I’m cool with [the status quo].” He went on to sаy that Hanson and the three kids they had together are “the people that I can’t live without.”
In 2018, Lillard and Hanson became parents for the first time to a son, Damian Jr. Kalii and Kali, their identical twins, were born in 2021, only a few months before the couple tied the knot.
This is everything you need to know about NBA player Damian Lillard’s wife, Kay’la Hanson.
They first connected during their collegiate years.
They met as students at Utah’s Weber State University and quickly developed a romantic relationship. Even though he dropped out of college to try to make it into the 2012 NBA draft, he kept studying and earned a degree in professional sales in 2015. They sаy Hanson attended nursing school.
I knew Kay’La was the one a long time ago,” he told Ebony in 2021. When we were in school together, she looked out for me. She provided me with a car and a place to live and went out of her way to help me. As a young guy, Kay’La loved me despite my many defects.
She’s the boss at a nail spa.
Hanson is an entrepreneur despite having a degree in nursing. They opened Dipped Nails, a nail salon in the Portland area, in 2019. Their business partner is Brittney Coleman.
According to what Coleman shared with the Lake Oswego Review, “we are suρer excited” about the new business. We were on our way to the farmers market and thought, “This is great!”
They’re a family of three
On March 29, 2018, Lillard and Hanson became the proud parents of a son, whom they named Damian Jr. They found out they were having twins two years later.
Lillard posted a photo of himself, Hanson, and their son, Damian Jr., cradling two peas in a pod with the caption, “I’m a DADDY DADDY now… happy for another boy but this girl gone Һit different.”
Hanson told PEOPLE, “Damian and I are so excited,” while showing off the “comfortable and modern” space they had created for their future children.
On January 21, 2021, the twins entered the world. Lillard posted an Instagram photo of his newborn son and daughter with the remark, “Welcome to the world, Kalii and Kali!” It’s “Kali Emma Lee Lillard (Callie…girl) and Kalii Laheem Lillard (kuh-lee..boy).”
During the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend, he popped the question.
Lillard told Ebony that he planned to propose to Hanson at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.
Without her knowledge, I secretly brought my entire family and hers to Chicago. I told her we were going to an NBA-sponsored Valentine’s Day party for the first time. We arrived at the site, where he had planned to propose: “I had a wall full of roses designed with ‘Will You Marry Me?’ and I got down on one knee.” After that, “everyone from both of our families came together to help us celebrate.”
A Scorpio, she is.
Hanson described her spouse as “cool, calm, and protective” in the same Ebony interview.
She explained, “I’m a Scorpio, and I knew Damian was the one when I realized he could manage my crаzy attitude. I have a lot of convictions and strong convictions, but I also have a tendency to be stubborn and set in my ways. I needed a somebody I could trust to guide me in every aspect of my life, and Damian is that man.
They tied the knot in ’21.
The wedding took place in a beautiful outdoor setting on September 4, 2021 in Montecito, California. According to Lillard’s recollection to Ebony, he was “even more overcome with love” when she began heading down the aisle toward him.
NBA stars Draymond Green, Bradley Beal, and CJ McCollum were in attendance, as were musical legends Snoop Dogg and Common, who both gave performances at the after-party.
She’s been instrumental in his physical rehabilitation.
Lillard missed the entire 2021 season due to an abdominal ιnjury. In early 2022, he underwent surgery and started physical rehabilitation.
Lillard said his wife was instrumental in his recuperation, according to Yahoo! Sports. The support of my family helped me to make remarkable progress in rehabilitation. Happy, I’d rush into rehabilitation. Simply put, I was in a good mood. This has been one of the best times of my life because I was able to spend it with my loved ones.
These priceless times with my wife,” he continued. We’ve been dating for a while now. Partners become accustomed to being treated as such. Thus, we have been enjoying doing various activities together.
A “closest friend” of his, she is.
Lillard often writes glowing social media posts about Hanson, and on her birthday in 2022, he posted a touching Instagram message in which he referred to her as his “closest friend.”
The people you spend your life with are among the most consequential choices you’ll make. I’d pick you over anybody else… he commented next to a sequence of pictures of them. Happy birthday to the woman who has been my rock through thick and thin, my best friend, my biggest fan, my love, and a wonderful life partner. I’m thrilled to welcome another year of life with you. I’m in love with you.