Everybody has that one athlete they tried to be like. Whether it was how you threw a football, shot a basketball, kicked a soccer ball or hit a baseball, there was a pro that came to mind.
For Warriors rookie Moses Moody, the player he modeled his game after might come as a bit of a surprise.
“When I was young, I watched a lot of Joe Johnson," Moody said Monday at Warriors Media Day. "He’s from the city. He’s from Little Rock. He came back every year and played in the Dunbar League. Y’all probably don’t know what that is.
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"It’s a league back home. He came back every summer and put on tournaments around the city."
Moody, 19, was born in Little Rock, Ark. He played high school basketball in Little Rock and also played his one and only college season at Arkansas.
For the young Moody, Johnson was Example A of who he wanted to be when he grew up.
“He was kind of the blueprint, and that was somebody I always looked up to and said when I make it, I want to be like him," Moody said.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors certainly would love that, too.
Johnson, who also played collegiately at Arkansas, spent 17 seasons in the NBA. He was a seven-time All-Star and named All-NBA for the 2009-10 season.
While playing with a handful of teams, Johnson averaged 16.0 points per game and shot 37.1 percent from 3-point range. He averaged over 20 points per game five times.
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Moody was selected by Golden State with the No. 14 pick in this year's draft. In Summer League, he impressed with his mature, defensive hustle and ability to put up points. The Warriors were more than happy he fell to them as the last pick in the lottery.
And they'll be just as happy if he can have a career close to Johnson's.