See Tim Duncan, KG, Kobe, And Dirk Drop Their First Career 20-Point Games

In comic books, origin stories are often the most compelling part of a character. We get to see the beginnings of a hero (or villain), how they came to think as they do, how they got their powers and what incident led them to dedicating their life to justice or wrongdoing. Take the first Captain America movie, for example. We saw what would make the puny, scrawny Steve Rogers an exemplary hero (and what would make him favor a shield) even before he was granted godlike gifts via the supersoldier serum.

We do not have super humans in the real world, but athletes often appear to be just that. This makes their origin stories almost as compelling as those of Spider-Man or Batman, especially when it comes to legends like Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant.

Before there was Dirk and his patented one-legged step-back jumper, there was a scrawny kid from Germany. Before there was The Big Fundamental, there was a rookie from Wake Forest with immense poise and potential. Before there was Da Kid, there was a kid, all lank and limbs. And before there was No. 24, there was No. 8. They’re legends now, but they weren’t always this way, and these flashback videos give us a special glimpse just as their stories begin.

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