{"id":13668,"date":"2017-11-01T09:03:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-01T09:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2017\/11\/01\/actor-michael-rapaport-on-sports-highs-lows-and-lebron\/"},"modified":"2017-11-01T09:03:00","modified_gmt":"2017-11-01T09:03:00","slug":"actor-michael-rapaport-on-sports-highs-lows-and-lebron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/actor-michael-rapaport-on-sports-highs-lows-and-lebron\/","title":{"rendered":"Actor Michael Rapaport On Sports Highs, Lows And LeBron"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ashley Brown<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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\n Michael Rapaport watches the action during a BIG3 basketball game at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla., on July 9.<\/p>\n

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When actor Michael Rapaport was growing up, he convinced himself he would end up playing professional basketball. There was a major pivotal moment: the legendary 1979 NCAA championship game that featured Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, who both eventually became NBA Hall of Famers.<\/p>\n

“That was like a game-changer for me,” Rapaport told Morning Edition<\/em> host David Greene. “I wanted to be like Larry Bird. I wanted to be like Magic Johnson. And I set a goal of being in the NBA, and I would live my life accordingly.”<\/p>\n

He did live his life accordingly \u2014 including a rigid, self-imposed practice schedule. But Rapaport didn’t make it as a basketball player. Instead, he continued to be a rabid sports fan as he created a career first as a stand-up comedian, then as an actor with more than 100 TV and film credits, including supporting roles in Friends, True Romance<\/em> and Beautiful Girls<\/em>. <\/p>\n

Rapaport still acts \u2014 currently on Showtime’s White Famous <\/em>\u2014 but he has also become known for his podcast<\/a>, YouTube videos<\/a> and talk show appearances. <\/p>\n