Paul George Boyhood Idol? Mavs Ex Josh Howard

As a kid, you're favorite players tend to always be the best player on your favorite team or one of the best players in the league. It's rare that a kid is more so drawn to a player that might not be the most popular or have the biggest name.

On a recent episode of his podcast, Podcast P with Paul George, the Clippers All-Star discussed who he idolized growing up as a kid, and one of his answers may surprise you.

"I don't know if people know who Josh Howard is," said George, whose Clippers were recently booted from the NBA Playoffs by the Suns. "Outside of watching Kobe, outside of watching T-Mac, he was like the next player that I used to idolize growing up."

Again, it's easy for players to say they grew up looking up to the likes of Kobe Bryant or Tracy McGrady because they sit atop of the NBA food chain, but to throw Howard in the mix with two Hall of Famers as your idol? That's pretty cool. 

Howard played 10 years in the league, his first seven being with the Dallas Mavericks, who drafted him with the No. 29 pick in the 2003 NBA draft. In his seven-year stint in Dallas, Howard averaged 15.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while making his sole All-Star appearance in 2006-07.

"He was a big wing. He could do everything. He could guard. He was tough," George said of Howard. "I used to watch him closely."

Howard's career fizzled out after his trade from Dallas to Washington in 2010, but at his peak, he was a problem. In today's game, Howard - who has been serving as a head coach at UNT- would make himself a nice penny as a two-way player.