The NBA is more global a sport than ever before. While the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James popularized the sport, it was Magic Johnson, alongside Larry Bird, who put the game on the map.
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Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers for the entirety of his career, Earvin established himself as one of the best point guards. Wearing the Purple & Gold, the 6-foot-9 pass-first player managed to achieve most of the accolades available.
An overly-stacked resume is highlighted with 12 All-Star appearances, 10 All-NBA selections, 4 assists titles, 3 MVPs, 5 championships, and 3 Finals MVPs.
Apart from being one of the game’s greatest, the influence Johnson had was immeasurable. Growing up, a majority of the kids wanted to be like Magic. Dwight Howard was just one of so many.
Also Read: Magic Johnson Showers GSW Superstar With Extraordinary Praise
Dwight Howard talks about Magic Johnson as an inspiration growing up
Dwight Howard was merely 10 when he discovered his passion and goal to reach the NBA. While his father was his role model, Magic was his inspiration.
In a SLAM interview from 8 years back, the then-Rockets big man spoke about the impact the Hall-Of-Famer had on him as a kid. Dwight had Johnson’s workout video which he would try emulating every day.
“We had one Magic Johnson workout tape. And we was sitting in the driveway, we would do those drills and we won’t stop. I wanted to be Magic Johnson,” Dwight said.
Further, the 6-foot-10 center disclosed agreeing to “sacrifice everything” as a 10-year-old in order to make it as a pro.
“I was, say about 10, as when I told my dad I wanted to come to the NBA. He said ‘Dwight, you want to make it to the NBA? Well, you gotta sacrifice everything you got’. I said ‘ok, I’m ready to do it’.”
“Magic told me I wasn’t going to make it to the NBA”: Dwight
Sadly, his own inspiration once discouraged him to follow his dreams.
Yes, as narrated by Howard, when he was in the 10th grade, Johnson was harsh enough to let the youngster know that he didn’t have the size to make it to the league.
However, Dwight took it all as motivation. The 5-time rebound champ said:
“I met him in the 10th grade and he told me I wasn’t going to make it to the NBA. So it kind of motivated me. He said, ‘You’re not going to make it to the NBA. You’re too small. You ain’t got the size.’ All that. I just took that as motivation.”
Years later, today, Dwight is an 8-time All-Star, 8-time All-NBA player, 3-time DPOY, and an NBA champ. It is not every day one gets to prove their inspiration wrong, however, Howard did so.
