How many of us have bragged (okay, lied) to anyone who would listen, “If I only was a few inches taller, I could have made it in the NBA”
NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr., can relate to that kind of statement.
But even if the lanky North Carolina native would have grown a few more inches, he admittedly still didn’t have the talent based upon some tweets he pumped out Thursday and further elaborated on during his weekly media session on Friday.
“I have interest, but that is where it stops,” Earnhardt said Friday when comparing his interest vs. skill level in the roundball game.
On Twitter’s “Throwback Thursday,” Earnhardt tweeted a photo of him with the basketball team during his days on the junior varsity team at Oak Ridge (N.C.) Military School (he’s at the far left, No. 13).
In a way, Earnhardt was the Rudy of his day back in military school. He was too short and rarely got to play.
“I sat on the bench a lot being the smallest guy,” Earnhardt recalled. “I didn’t have any skill.”
In fact, he took just one shot – ONE SHOT!!! – during his entire “career” at the school.
“I threw it up with my eyes closed,” he laughed. “The only way I knew it went in is because (sister) Kelley and everybody that was there, the 10 or 12 people that were there were screaming when it went in. So I knew it went in, but I never saw it.”
Sure, it may have only been one shot, but Earnhardt retired from his hoops career with a perfect 1.000 field goal percentage.
Not even LeBron James, Michael Jordan or Shaquille O’Neal can brag about that.
Unlike many who think they can play, Junior actually had other reasons for being on the school’s hoops team.
“I only played because you got to leave campus for the road games,” he said. “Being able to leave even for a day in military school was an amazing vacation, just to be able to leave for a few hours, because … after the game you would get pizza or whatever.
“You just didn’t have those kinds of luxuries being on campus so that was pretty neat. I had fun. My sister found that picture so I thought it would be fun to share. We played basketball at home and we have a small little group of guys that get together and play, but I’m not skillful at all. It’s fun. It’s a good way to get some energy and exercise.”
Earnhardt remains a big college basketball fan – since his beloved North Carolina Tar Heels got eliminated, he’s pulling for Florida – as well as of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats.
And he’ll likely be out watching when the Harlem Globetrotters put on an exhibition game before Sunday’s Duck Commander 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway.
You know what? I just had a great idea. Given that TMS president Eddie Gossage is one of the greatest promoters in the sport, maybe he should see if Junior could play for a couple of minutes with the ‘Trotters.
It’s a win-win situation: If he makes a basket, the crowd goes wild. If he doesn’t, he still has a great basketball team around him that makes him look good.
Follow me @JerryBonkowski
