Bucks guard Damian Lillard has made his mark as one of the NBA’s most respected basketball players since entering the association in 2012-13. As it turns out, he’s been able to use other sports to propel him to that level. ESPN’s Eric Woodyard recently wrote a feature story that highlights how boxing has made the six-time All-Star an even better basketball player.

.

Many of Lillard’s go-to moves — such as his pull-up jumper from beyond 30-feet — can be attributed to work done in the ring. Lillard says that his rigorous training schedule leads to stronger legs when the season begins.

“I feel like my legs are a lot stronger because I train in the ring so much,” he said. “My legs don’t wear out as fast.

“[In boxing] you’ve got to keep moving. Your arms are up. I feel like I’ve been able to shoot the ball easier from deep probably because my shoulders are more broad now. I’m stronger up top because this is hard to do. It’s hard to keep your hands up, and you feel it. I feel like in small ways like that, it’s probably played a part.”

.

.

He also offers a glimpse into Lillard’s regimen, which includes conditioning, strength, and power.

When Lillard is in training mode, he starts lifting and conditioning as early as 7 a.m. He then puts on the gloves and uses them for eight to ten rounds of three minutes each. Lillard concentrates on using his feet, operating at various angles, combination punching, and delivering accurate jabs. He’s practicing counterpunching by feeling how it feels, punching with his hips, launching and maintaining his jabs, and packing punches into his shots.

As Lillard points out, the boxing training has helped mentally, too, in building a never-say-die attitude, even when the Bucks fall behind in games. The article also helps showcase Lillard’s upbringing, how prevalent boxing in his household growing up, and his relationship with today’s top boxers