It is not every day when you get to compete against someone you grew up a fan of, regardless what field you work in. It can be even weirder to have them on your team, as Boston Celtics reserve wing Jordan Walsh recently related. "All these younger guys kind of grew up watching these guys play," said Walsh after practice at training camp on Monday (Sep. 28) afternoon.
"It was funny," continued the Celtics forward. "The other day I was talking about how LeBron (James) got drafted the year I was born and then I got to play against him, which was crazy. And so just having moments like that, where it's like somebody you watch growing up who was like a legend in the game and now you've got to change your lens and look at him as like an opponent."
"It's
a special thing, it's a gift, but it's also something you've got to, it comes with a little more respect, a little more humility to go out there and compete against them," said Walsh. Even with all this talk of playing against legends of the game, however, the Arkansas alum has his eyes on the prize, and arrived in Boston well before he had to show up.
"You don't have to be here until media day if you don't want to be," he said, relating he is not alone in his enthusiasm for the campaign ahead. "It's just a standard that everybody set for themselves; everybody has different times. I didn't get here at the same time (Paul George) did. PG didn't get here at the same time Mitchell (Robinson) did."
"Everybody has a different schedule, but the earlier you are here, usually the younger you are. The older you get, the longer summers you get. But when it's time to come and compete and play and be here, as you can see, everybody's here. Everybody's ready to play. Nobody's slacking behind, so that's what matters."
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Everybody's ready to play: Jordan Walsh on Boston Celtics training camp
