NBA stars are the idols of countless people, especially players with strong ball styles. And these players will also have their own idols in their hearts. After Morant became popular this season, the so-called "four explosive point guards" have not gone away. So, who are the idols of the 4 of them?
Ross's idol was unexpected. Basketball teenagers from Chicago all idolize Jordan, but Rose reveals that his idol is OJ Mayo. Before entering the NBA, Rose had said that Mayo was his target for catching up, And that Mayo could make the moves of NBA players very early on, and after James entered the NBA, Mayo became the object of media hype, and even Dime magazine wrote bluntly on the cover of one issue: "Mayo, the next LeBron." ”
In the end, Rose, Beasley and Mayo were selected with the first three picks in 2008, and were elected as the winners, the list eye and the tanhua respectively. But sadly, all three of their careers have been ruined, Rose's career has been ruined by injuries, and Beasley and Mayo have been ruined by indiscipline. In 2016, Mayo was banned from the league for taking banned drugs, and then he faded out of the NBA, when he was only 28 years old.
However, Rose's remarks at that time may be more like the mutual appreciation and competition of his peers so far, and Ross has also revealed that he grew up watching Kobe Bryant, and Kobe Bryant shaped his attitude to the game. Ross got better and better at the Pistons two years ago when he was .C by NBC Sports reporter K. Johnson said in an interview: "My inspiration for the recovery came from Kobe, he has always been my idol, I want to be like him, keep improving, and then play in the league for as many years as possible." Bryant has adapted to the style of play in every era of the league, which is also a testament to how good he is. ”
Westbrook, who ran for fourth place in the same year as Rose, is also an extremely powerful point guard, and his childhood idol is also somewhat unexpected. Once, in an interview, Wei Shao revealed that he had previously liked to watch Paul Gasol play. After Gasol retired, Westbrook also publicly stated that before Kobe, Gasol was his favorite player growing up, because Gasol's skill level was rare among players of his height, and he always played the right way. "I know he's a big guy, and that's why I play like a big guy, I admire him, I don't mean he's my template, but I really like the way he plays so reasonably."
In addition, as a native of California, Kobe Bryant is naturally also a childhood idol of Wei Shao. Kobe Bryant also admired encouragement, teaching, and promotion of Wei Shao many times before his death, and after Kobe's death, Wei Shao revealed on social media, "When I was 16 years old at UCLA, I met him when I played wild ball, and he played in the NBA Finals. From that moment on, I decided to emulate his mamba spirit... He defended me, believed in me, and taught me how to get through it. I would like to thank you for being my idol and inspirational role model. ”
In the second half of last year, Westbrook's words in an interview with The Athletic reporter a few months after joining the Lakers also confirmed his childhood idol, "When I was growing up, Kobe Bryant, Gasol Grand and Rashid Wallace were my three favorite players. ”
Rashid Wallace said on ESPN's show last May that based on Westbrook's contributions to the Wizards, Westbrook is currently the league's best player, and Rashid also stressed that he did not disrespect players such as Durant, Curry and James. Maybe it was Wallace's remarks that later developed feelings of mutual appreciation?
Two years after Rose and Westbrook joined the league, John Wall came out and, like Rose, came to the NBA as a champion. The athletic, historically taller point guard began to show the audience a variety of perverted aerial performances. Wall's idol was none other than James, according to himself. In an interview, Wall said he admired James, whether on the field or off the court, everything James did was out of reach, and everything he did was to catch up with James.
It is reported that Wall often trains with James in the offseason, and later he also switched to James' agent Rich Paul. From this point of view, Wall said that the idol is James, and should not just talk about it. Wall's height, strength, and athleticism are placed in the point guard, and he really looks a bit like James in the point guard.
But before entering the draft in 2010, Wall had a different way of saying in an interview with ESPN, "I definitely like Michael Jordan the most, and of course Iverson is also my idol." ”
Two years ago, when the documentary "The Last Dance" hit, Wall expressed his appreciation for Jordan again in a show, saying that Jordan can now average 45 points per game, and Jordan is the absolute first person in history. Five years ago, Wall also posted a photo with Iverson on social media with the caption, "My idol Iverson gave me these #WallWay#5Deep#BYB. ”
So Wall's idols are three, Jordan and Iverson, who have been admired since childhood before entering the league, and after entering the league, they gradually began to respect James's self-discipline and playing style, coupled with a lot of private contact and often training together, he also regarded James as an example.
Today's hot Morant has 2 idols, one is Iverson and the other is Westbrook. He has said he learned tenacity and tenacity from Iverson, a lifelong asset. Morant has also said that he admires the point guard who combines aggression and athleticism, which is why Westbrook was his favorite player as a child. Morant even complained that Wei Shao did not get more recognition, and Wei Shao heard the news and specially thanked Morant.
Of course, for NBA players, they say that an NBA player is their idol, not all of them are the favorite players who influenced their growth as a child, and sometimes they may just express an appreciation, which is not exactly the same as the idol in the mouth of ordinary fans. This is also the reason why there will be several of their idols, and even the emergence of stars of the same generation. (Supine Braces/Hairy)