When Dabo Swinney represented Clemson at the ESPY Awards a few weeks back in Los Angeles, he took a few minutes prior to the event to catch some rays by the pool on the celebrity athletes’ deck where the event was being held that night.

When he got there, he noticed someone special sitting by the pool. It was one of childhood idols, basketball star Julius Erving, a.k.a, Dr. J.

“It’s one of the greatest moments of my life,” Swinney said on SirusXM Radio Saturday. “He is at the pool, sitting by the pool with a Dr. J shirt on. I swear to God. This is Dr. J! I was like ‘I have to come and meet you.’”

Which Swinney did.

Clemson’s head football coach admitted, as much as he loves the game of football and all that it stands for, basketball is his love. That’s why he plays it as often as he does, which also explains why he has a half court basketball gym at his Clemson home and why he has a full size court outside the Allen Reeves Football Complex.

“I love it. That was my sport,” he said. “In fact, when I went to Alabama, I was going to walk on and play baseball, basketball or football when I made a decision, but I found out baseball only gave you like books. I was like, ‘Heck! I am not doing that. I was already broke.’ I’m going to do all of that and just get books.”

Swinney wanted to walk on to the basketball team, too, but there was only 13 spots on the roster and only five guys get to play at a time.

But thankfully for Clemson and for college football, Swinney walked on to the football team at Alabama and the rest is history.

These days, Swinney just hoops it up with his three sons or when he plays noon-ball with the other coaches and administrators at Clemson. He says he used to be a slasher, but now his game as evolved and he is a much better shooter than he was all those years ago.

“There is no question. It is like fine wine,” Swinney said about his game. “I can’t move like I used to move, but I can still shoot it. So, my game has had to evolve.”