Lillard, Trail Blazers donate playoff bonuses to team staff members

Every team that qualified for the NBA playoffs this season was awarded $223,864 as a bonus to be divided among the players, which comes out to approximately $16,000 per person.

In the case of the Portland Trail Blazers, that money served a different purpose, as point guard Damian Lillard convinced his teammates to distribute it among the team's support staff.

"We divide our playoff shares to give to the people who we work so closely with because they spend as much time away from their families as we do, and they are just about as invested as we are," said Lillard, according to CSNNW.com's Jason Quick. "They also do as much as possible to make our lives easier, even if it makes theirs more difficult – all while making far less. So it’s a further way of showing appreciation beyond a thank you or a handshake."

Lillard went to all of his teammates to make sure that every dollar was spread out among 25 different staff members.

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The idea originally came from former Blazers center Chris Kaman, who couldn't believe the team wasn't already doing it when he arrived prior to the start of the 2014-15 campaign. He told Lillard that when the day came for him to become the leader of the locker room, he should ensure the players follow through with the donations as a means of promoting unity within the organization.

The Blazers finished the season with an even 41-41 record before ultimately falling to the Golden State Warriors in a clean sweep during the opening round.