Right in the middle of the NBA Playoffs we were once again reminded that basketball is just a game. New Orleans superstar Chris Paul wrote the name “Brian” on his shoes for Game 3 in honor of a young fan who passed away before getting to have his wish granted by meeting his basketball hero.
A member the boy’s family contacted A Child’s Wish to ask if they could arrange for him to attend a Hornets game and meet Chris Paul. Brian, age 8, was fighting cancer but his family says that never took off his Chris Paul jersey and was a huge hornets fan.
The Hornets, working through A Child’s Wish, gave the boy playoff tickets to Game 2 vs. the Spurs. But sadly Brian developed a fever and died a few hours later.
According to a New Orleans Times-Picayune story, “Brian told his family that he knew he was going to heaven and that he wanted to meet Jesus wearing his Chris Paul jersey.”
“I was speechless,” Paul said before Game 3 Thursday night. “Even now, it’s something that words can’t describe. This is probably one of the most humbling experiences of my life.”
The Hornets may have lost game 3 but it wasn’t for lack of effort by Paul. He scored 35 points and 9 assists against the multiple time NBA Champs.
Several members of the Hornets organization including the owner, George Shinn were so touched by the story that they have pledged ongoing support to A Child’s Wish to help make other wishes come true before it’s too late. Fans also took notice of the off the court work by the team as recognized in a recent “Letter to the Editor” in the Times-Picayune.
Remember – time is something that we take for granted. But as this story teaches us – for a child with a critical illness time is something to be valued. If you know of a child like this who would like to have a wish granted please contact us today!
