Spud Webb encourages, inspires youth attending Legends’ camp

Spud Webb was never bestowed the opportunity of attending a basketball camp.

Despite winning the 1986 NBA dunk contest and spending 12 seasons in the Association, Webb believes his game could’ve reached another level had his skills been properly honed during the developmental stage.

.@TexasLegends President of Basketball Operations, @SpudDunks, speaking with youth campers on the importance of learning fundamental basketball. pic.twitter.com/c0NzcadmmO

— Dallas Sports Fanatic (@Dallas_Fanatic) June 19, 2018

Similar to many of the boys and girls attending the Texas Legends youth basketball camp, Webb recalls exactly when he recognized his initial love for the game.

“I think when I saw [Julius Erving] play for the first time,” Webb revealed. “You fall in love and try to play like him in the backyard or in the house; get the tennis shoes and try to walk like him and everything else.”

“All that good stuff you read about him and then you finally see that he’s a better person than basketball player.”

Webb remained close to the sport after retirement. Currently serving in his ninth year as president of basketball operations for the Texas Legends, Webb encouraged campers attending the Legends’ youth basketball camp on Tuesday — conveniently ahead of the 2018 draft — to continue growing and improving their skills.

“I think that little kids see professional athletes and think they’re invincible, or can’t be touched,” Webb said. “So I figure if you go [to camp and interact] and they see you, and they see you’re a real person, it gives them hope and challenges them that they can be the same way or they can make it.

“You want to give them that hope. When they’re young, they see [professional athletes] and they go, ‘oh, he just happened that way.’ No, he had to grow that way.”

After the boys and girls returned to camp activities, including spirited games of knockout, Webb remained at the Lifetime Fitness in Allen until he finished autographing individual posters for each camper in attendance.

.@TexasLegends President of Basketball Operations, Spud Webb, taking time to sign posters for each youth camper here at Lifetime Fitness in Allen. pic.twitter.com/QwhCviBIcK

— Mike DuPont II (@MikeDuPont_) June 19, 2018

During a brief Q&A session, campers had an opportunity to send a unique array of questions in Webb’s direction, ranging from: How high could you jump, were you ever traded, did you shoot threes?

Webb’s most popular response:

“Google me.”