Tags
Bill Russell, Boston Celtics, Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, FastDraw, Jerry West, Larry Bird, NBA, Pepperdine
Here is a piece of basketball trivia for you. Can you name this player?
- I was born the eighth of sixteen children.
- I was a high school senior who was the 10th man on my basketball team.
- The year after I graduated high school, I drove a forklift for $2.75 an hour, and played basketball with my brothers in a playground recreational league until I caught the eye of a junior college coach who offered me a chance to play.
- Our relationship was rocky and I was thrown off the team three times during my two year career there.
- I went to Pepperdine University for one year, and then used a draft “loophole” to declare myself eligible for the NBA Draft in 1976 where I was selected by the Seattle Supersonics.
- I was voted to five All-Star Teams and nine consecutive All-Defensive Teams, was an NBA Finals MVP, won three NBA Championships, and persevered to such a degree that I became a Hall of Famer and they retired my jersey in the Boston Garden beside the legendary Larry Bird.
Think about it, from nothing to one of the very best that has ever played the game! How did this happen? Is this not one of the great “Cinderella stories” of all time? Continue reading