Former Weber State guard Damian Lillard explains his fear of 'historic statues'

Former Weber State guard and star NBA rookie Damian Lillard uses his speed and quickness to blow past on-court opponents. Based on a recent tweet, it seems the only things that can slow him down don't move at all.

During a recent trip to Washington, D.C., Lillard tweeted that he found the city's monuments to America's historical figures unnerving:

I like DC. I wana come back and visit the memorialseven though I'm scared of statues

— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) November 28, 2012

People I'm only scared of historic statues. Abraham Lincoln , MLK, etc . Had a bad experience at the wax museum lmao

— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) November 28, 2012

Lillard explained his phobia to reporters before Wednesday's game against the Washington Wizards.

"I've always been scared of historic stuff like that. If I see statues of Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. — all that stuff kind of gives me a funny feeling," Lillard told USA Today reporter Jeff Zillgett.

The former Wildcat identified a trip to a wax museum before his senior year at Weber State as a possible cause of the aversion.

"The last room was Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln — all these big-time historic people, and it looked just like them. Same size," Lillard said. "They had music playing in the room to set the mood, and it just threw me off."

Lillard was the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. He is averaging 19.1 points and 6.1 assists per game for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Email: lshumway@desnews.com; Twitter: TheShums