Former Premier League star Didier Drogba was in attendance at the NBA All-Star Game 2019 in Charlotte on Sunday.
Didier Drogba was speaking at the NBA All-Star Game 2019 in Charlotte on how he got interested in basketball, who were his basketball idols growing up and more.
How did you become a basketball fan?
“When I was a kid, I saw some games with Michael Jordan and in the Olympic Games in Barcelona – the dream team. That’s exactly why I started following basketball.”
Who were your favourite players growing up?
“It was Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. There was a bunch of really talented guys like Scotty Pippen – all these guys. That’s how I got into it [the NBA].”
You play basketball, would you compare you playing style to a particular player?
“I don’t know, I think it’s difficult. I was talking about it with Kevin Garnett yesterday and I was saying that I really liked the way he played because he played with passion and you could see in his eyes, when he came on the court you could see that he wanted to do something, he wanted to win. So that’s one of the guys I could compare myself to a bit.”
Who do you think deserves to win MVP this season?
“I think James Harden [for MVP].”
Who would pick in a Premier League All-Star team football team out of the guys you’ve played with or against?
“Thierry Henry, Frank Lampard, Petr Cech, Peter Crouch – he doesn’t need to jump he’s just there, and Eden Hazard.”
What do you think about the creation of a NBA league in Africa?
“Yeah I think it’s going to work. With the support of the NBA and the FIBA as well, I think that’s exactly what we needed for every sport in Africa because there’s a lot of talent, a lot of players. If you’re looking into football for example, I’ve seen a lot of players more talented, much better than me and all the guys I’ve played against in the Premier League but they don’t have the platform or the chance to make it so if you have a competitive league in Africa, I think it’s going to help them to make sure that they can earn some money and it creates jobs. It’s a big eco-system that’s going to take place.”
