When I first started watching the Lakers when I was young, I could've followed any sport. I didn't know too much about the basketball back then but there was 1 player that got me hooked. That player was Magic Johnson. He was just a rookie and I related to his joy of the game. Kareem was too dull, never showing any emotion at all and the other players weren't anything special to me. I'm sure we all have different players that got each of us interested in basketball. Maybe it was Hakeem or maybe Dr. J for you.
some of us were hooked on basketball before really ever watching it on TV, much less it being an NBA player. If any TV "hooked me" it was the Illinois high school March Madness tourny's on WGN.
I got hooked listening to the University of Houston Cougs BEAT UCLA in the Astrodome and ending their record winning streak before the largest BB crowd in history. In a drive-in movie with my ticked off girlfriend. (she wanted to... nevermind) The whole place cheered when they won. I miss drive-in's. Used to sneak people into them in the trunk. That was VERY hard to do in a '65 Mustang fast-back. That team was coached by GUY V. LEWIS. Who should be in the Hall of Fame. So I guess it was Elvin Hayes, although it was really listening to the game at the time.
Jordan, Dream, and since I was living in New York when I was a youngin'- Ewing. Don't know why, but I quickly became a Dream fan.
A combination of Hakeem and Steve Francis...maybe a bit of Charles. (which weighs 200lbs ) I wanted to start watching a lot in Francis's rookie year, but not because of him primarily. I was going to watch because of CB and HO. When Steve showed me his skills, I stuck with watching, so he kept me watching.
Scottie Pippen of course, he makes me watch and love basketball and he inspires the way I play but I can't remember the 1st time I saw him playing.
WOW! When I was a junior in high school I remember watching all-star weekend stay in school jam. I saw Anfernee Hardaway for the first time and I thouht he was soo fine! Well I decided to watch the all-stars play on that sunday night, and was hooked on basketball every sense.
Danny Manning, baby! Before that i was in to Sampson and Olajuwon, and Drexler, etc...but Manning's NCAA tour de force turned me into a maniac...
I'd say I first knew I was completely hooked after Reggie Miller scored 9 points in the last 8 seconds of a playoff game in like 93. I already liked bball and was a rockets fan but thats truly when I realized that this was my sport and I was gonna watch for the rest of my life. Thank god it looks like I have alot of good Rockets moments to look forward to over the next decade.
i watched ball before this player...but this guy got me hooked. Penny Hardaway in 94/95 with the Magic...then in the finals of the playoffs...Hakeem caught my young 9-year-old attention...even though i was cheering for the Magic .
First Jordan, and then the Rockets starting in '98 when I moved here. My friend had a Rockets website that was linked to here...and since then it's been ClutchCity driving my fanaticism.
