Imagine a superstar like Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis retiring before he even reached his basketball prime.

That kind of story would eclipse nearly every other “early retirement” story in the history of professional sports. The Detroit Lions could take solace in knowing that Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson electing to hang up the cleats early paled in comparison to a future all-time great calling it quits at age 26.

Or even worse, imagine if Davis had walked away before his star even had the chance to shine.

In an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic, Davis revealed that he nearly quit the game multiple times during his prep career. But Davis also told Charania that he drew inspiration from another Chicago basketball legend, former Bulls point guard Derrick Rose (clip starts at 6:30 mark):

Davis grew up on the South Side when Rose was blooming as a young star with the Bulls, and he says that he looked to the former Simeon standout as proof that he could “make it out.”

Initially, Davis was an unranked prospect heading into his senior year of high school. But he had grown five inches in a span of two years (Davis would grow another three inches in two more years) and would become one of the highest-rated prospects in the league, eventually earning a scholarship to play at the University of Kentucky.

However, without the extra motivation stemming from the example set by Rose, Davis almost certainly would not be in the position he is currently in with the Lakers. In fact, the world may never have even heard of Anthony Davis at all.