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Miami’s Reggie Johnson loved WWE, not sports, as a kid

spt-120220-reggiejohnson

Mike Miller

It’s no wonder Reggie Johnson pops this pose after a big play. The Miami (Fla.) center must’ve seen it about 3,249 times growing up.

That’s what happens when you spend your time watching WWE instead of basketball or football or anything else.

“I wasn’t playing sports. I was always watching wrestling. Always,” Johnson told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “Take my wrestling belt from me, I would cry. I had the tag-team belt, the championship belt.

“I would go outside, put my wrestling belt on the tree, and then fight my teddy bear and act like it was a cage match.”

Apparently Johnson still loves WWE, too. Teammate Malcolm Grant says Johnson “still goes crazy for it.”

His childhood hero? The Rock, who just happened to play football at Miami when he was only known as Dwayne Johnson. He had action figures of several wrestlers and a CD that had the Rock’s theme song. Miami’s center hasn’t met the Rock, but would love to.

Pretty sure Miami’s PR department needs to make this happen.

You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.