His play on the court made him an college legend on the campus of Maryland University. His story off the court opened the eyes and hearts to many sports fans nationwide.
Juan Dixon became a bonafide hoops icon at the University of Maryland after leading the Maryland Terrapins to an NCAA National Championship in 2002. His success led to Juan being drafted by the Washington Wizards, where he went on to play 7 seasons in the NBA. But the story of Dixon elevated his legacy as a inspiration to other athletes when the story of the passing of his parents touched many lives nationwide. The Baltimore native had lost both of his parents, Juanita and Phil Dixon, who were heroin addicts and died after contracting HIV. This led to his older brother becoming the father figure who in result developed an ever so tight bond with one another. But recently, Juan’s world was flip upside down when he found out that through the grapevine that Phil Dixon wasn’t his biological father but actual his biological father was still alive. HBO Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel correspondent David Scott traveled to Baltimore and to the nation’s capital, where Dixon is now the head coach of women’s basketball at the University of the District of Columbia, and speaks with him and his “new” father, Bruce Flanigan, to tell the story of their unfathomable reunion. Check out the clip of the trailer below as you can watch this story in its entirety tonight at 10 pm on HBO.
