Grandpa with dreams of playing for the NBA says he's 'not going to give up'

— -- Calvin Roberts, a 61-year-old grandpa from Las Vegas, Nevada, said he’s “not going to give up” until he finally fulfills his dream of playing for the NBA.

“This has always been a passion of mine and to be able to get into the NBA and enjoy the experience of being there, I’m excited and I really am looking forward to this year,” Roberts said on “Good Morning America” of his impassioned goal. “I’m pushing myself to the max and I believe this year, this is my year.”

Roberts said he was drafted as a fourth-round pick for the San Antonio Spurs in 1980, so it would be his ideal scenario to have a shot at playing for them again.

“There was something they saw in me to draft me,” he said. “That’s my team because they drafted me. I’m not going to give up on them. They’re a great team. [Gregg] Popovich is a great coach, he’s smart. Me and him can communicate because both of us are old. He inspired me.”

Despite never playing professionally for the Spurs in the 1980s, he packed his bags to play professional basketball overseas.

“I played in Italy, Spain, France, Austria, Turkey, Israel, pretty much all the countries,” said Roberts.

But there was moment in particular he considers the highlight of his former basketball career.

“Magic Johnson was my highlight, playing against him,” Roberts said of his time at California State University, Fullerton. “We got invited to play against him in a pre-season game and we lost by one point. It was my first opportunity to play against somebody that was already well known and everyone knew he was going to go into the NBA. I knew this game was going to make me or break me. Magic just pushed it over the top. When I saw him, his energy. It’s amazing. That’s my highlight.”

Now Roberts hopes to exude that same energy on the court to impress recruiters during the upcoming NBA summer league, if given the chance to try out.

“If God’s willing, I’ll get into the summer camp and show them I’ve still got talent there,” he said. “The Spurs, I hope they take me to a mini camp and I’ll get a little better there. Veteran camp is where they’re going to make you or break you and that’s my goals.”

His wife, Noemi Lucero, is behind him 100 percent.

“I thought it was a great idea. I already knew he could do it,” she said. “He has the will and when there’s a will there’s a way. I never got to see him the first time around play as a basketball player so this is my chance to actually see him play as a player.”

Roberts, who is 6 feet, 8 inches, and weighs 246 pounds, said he’s in excellent physical shape and has been hitting the gym and eating right to play at the best of his ability.

“I’m healthy for my age and I’m dedicated. I hope they see that,” he said. “I am trying to get their attention so they can see that I’m in shape, I’m ready and willing to try it again at this age. I’m serious and I want to be there. It’s my second chance and I’m taking it. If they give me a chance, I’m going all the way.”