In the first chapter of Hondo, Havlicek describes how he used a dish pan to soak his injured foot to help his Boston Celtics win a Championship. You may not know who John Havlicek is because he played back in the 1960’s and 1970’s but he is truly amazing. He grew up in small, poor neighborhood in Lansing, Ohio where his mom and dad owned a grocery store. His mom was his disciplinarian who made him fix the beds, wash the dishes, and clean the floors. Literally, his house was 15 to 20 feet from route 40 so his parents wouldn’t let him ride a bike because it was too dangerous so if he wanted to go somewhere, he had to run to his destination. As he got older, he knew short cuts through the woods so he would run through the woods while practice dodging the trees and bushes. He believes that this helped him as a basketball player to run the whole game and tire his defender. Because he was poor but had good parents, he was taught to be humble, hardworking, honest, family oriented, and he knew that he had to earn his way and take advantages of opportunities given to him.
In high school, he was a three sport player. He played football, baseball, and basketball. He was excellent in all three and got a scholarship to Ohio State. His dad was confused when he heard his son say that he’s going to college for free for playing basketball but he didn’t argue. At Ohio State, he won an NCAA Championship, and was runner-up in two other years. After his college career ended, he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns for football and the Boston Celtics for Basketball. After a few weeks of playing for the Browns, Havlicek got cut and went on to play basketball where his legacy began.
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