By Sam Perley, hornets.com
Welcome to Out of Bounds…A weekly series that dives deeper into the issues fans might not know the whole story about. Our Hornets players will give you insight into topics like traveling, hobbies, injuries, trades and everything in between throughout the NBA season.
Last week, Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo discussed what it was like the first time they went up against players like Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett whom they idolized growing up. In the second of a two-part special, rookie Noah Vonleh and veteran Al Jefferson open up about their own basketball idols and what it was like to finally play on the same level with them in the NBA.
The Rookie
Noah Vonleh was only 12 years old when Kevin Durant made his debut for the Seattle SuperSonics in 2007 and was just a freshman in high school when Durant made his first NBA All-Star Game, his first All-NBA First Team and won his first scoring title. The Hornets rookie has tried to adapt a lot of what Durant does on the basketball court to his own game.
“I like modeling my game after really versatile guys [like] Kevin Durant. [I like to] be able to handle the ball, post up if I need to and shoot," said Vonleh. "Kevin Durant is a great player who can do all those things."
The 19-year-old also said there haven't been any hesitations about going against seasoned NBA veterans, no matter who they are.
“Growing up watching [those players], you’re like ‘Man, its going to be crazy playing against those guys.' I remember when we were playing the Spurs, playing against Tim Duncan and Boris Diaw," the Hornets rookie said. "I didn't care who they were. I forgot their names when I was out there playing and just trying to help my team win."
The Veteran
Like any other aspiring NBA player growing up, Al Jefferson also had that one player he modeled his game after and can vividly recall going head-to-head with early on in his career when the Hornets center was rookie in 2004 with the Boston Celtics.
“I remember when I first came into the league, I was a big Shaquille O’Neal fan. When I got a chance to not only play against him but stand beside him for the first time, it was amazing,” said Jefferson. “I remember that as a player, it meant a lot because you grow up looking up to these guys. When you finally get on the court with them, they become less of your hero. You still respect them but they become more of a guy you got to compete against and want to beat. So it was dramatic change but it was fun."
Jefferson jokingly admits there was a particular moment during an early matchup against the future Hall-of-Famer O’Neal that for all intents and purposes represented his "welcome-to-the-NBA moment."
“[Everything] quickly came to reality when Shaq dunked on me,” Jefferson laughed. “Getting dunked on by the player I always looked up to and respected and the guy I always wanted to be like was an honor [although it] was embarrassing in the moment."
Jefferson also reflected on his veteran role in the NBA and recognizes the dynamic has shifted a bit in that he is now become the guy that younger players coming into the league are aspiring to be like growing up, including teammate Bismack Biyombo.
“To be that guy that younger guys coming [into the NBA] look up to, that means a lot too. It lets me know the things that I have done are rubbing off on the young guys,” added Jefferson.
What It All Means
Making it to the NBA is the ultimate achievement for many aspiring basketball players as they finally get to suit up side-by-side and against their idols on the sport’s biggest stage. Rookies, veterans and everyone in-between seem to remember what it was like stepping on the court for the first time against that one player they had always aspired to be like and modeled their own game after for as long as they can remember. While the feeling of first playing against their idols in the NBA is ingrained in many players as a surreal and unforgettable moment in their own careers, most soon recognized their role model was just another guy on the basketball court they needed to beat in order to help their team win and ultimately succeed.