Robin Roberts wanted to be professional athlete before becoming journalist

NEW YORK, June 21 (UPI) -- Robin Roberts said before becoming a broadcast journalist, she wanted to be a professional athlete.

In an appearance on Oprah's Master Class, Roberts said she played basketball ball in both middle and high school as a center. She was later moved to the outside shooter position, which she said taught her a lesson about life.

"Let's be honest here: I wanted to be a professional athlete," she said. "But there is something called ability that you must have."

The Good Morning America anchor said she had to adjust her dream and redefine her goals to be happy.

"Let me tell you, with a mic in my hand instead of a tennis racket for ESPN when I went to cover it for the first time, to me, it was like, 'Check. Wimbledon,'" she said. "You have to be creative in reaching your goals."

"I think that's what's really helped me so much in my life, both professionally and personally, just not being too rigid," she added. "Having goals and setting goals, but being flexible with them and knowing that it might not quite look like I think it's going to look -- and that's okay. That's okay."