I remember reading articles recently about who the best basketball players in the world had looked up to growing up.
In rhe case of Yao Ming, it was Shaquille O'Neal, the 4 time NBA Champion who was a behemoth on the court, but not so much so as a rapper and actor. For His Airness, Michael Jordan, he grew up watching David Thompson. No surprise, then, that Jordan, whose clutch exploits were overshadowed only by his high flying gymnastics at the rim, would somehow take on some of Thompson's moves both as a collegiate star in North Carolina and as a member of the fabled Bulls teams of the 90s.
We all have our hoops heroes. In my case, it was Larry Bird, and current Dallas Mavericks franchise forward Dirk Nowitzki. Bird played a style that always flustered his opponents. Just ask Xavier McDaniel. The Hick from French Lick, who could jump a wee bit off of the floor, had a shooting form akin to a shotput toss, and a determination that saw him play through back injuries, and countless bumps and bruises incurred on the parquet floor of the old Boston Garden, outhustled and outplayed most of his opponents- from fringe to flounder to fast blowing breeze. He evolved into one of the best- even if at first glance, he didn't quite look it.
Dirk Nowitzki came into the NBA fresh off of a promising McDonalds World Basketball Tourney which featured him playing stellar ball for his native Germany. As a gangly, long haired rookie on Mavericks team that had hanging on its back a culture of losing, Dirk struggled through his first few years in the league. Seemingly outsped, outmatched, and overwhelmed, Dirk, accounts say, constantly thought of quitting and taking the next flight home to the land of Audi and Schublig.
Fast forward to the present day, and Nowitzki is an NBA Champion, former league MVP, and the Dallas Mavericks' all time leading scorer. Someone chop off some granite off of a mine, please, and save the chunk for a Dirk statue, will ya?
Basketball often teaches us that nothing is impossible when you are fueled by a dream, and when you have a heap of the right kind of guidance in your ingredient book. The cycle followed by those who have reached hoops nirvana has been a constant- inspired, desire, perspire, execute, inspire. It is a beautiful thing.
Rinse. Repeat. Now doesn't that make for quite the squeaky clean story?
MC
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