It was a classy move.
It started with the Boston Celtics, who were hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday night, and also honoring Aaron Miller, a 16-year-old with who has overcome brain damage to play two sports at a local high school, something Chris Forsberg detailed at ESPN.In the second quarter of Cleveland’s 89-77 win, the Celtics honored Aaron Miller, who the team said had undergone thousands of hours of surgery and physical therapy in efforts to overcome a medical condition doctors believed would paralyze him for life. Miller now competes on the basketball and golf teams at Newton North High School.
That’s an inspiring story. It caught the ear of LeBron James, who reached out to the teen twice during the night.
Coming out of a timeout after Miller was acknowledged with a standing ovation at half court at TD Garden, James sought Miller out courtside for a brief interaction. After the game, James returned and gave Miller his game-worn sneakers.
“I wasn’t able to hear the whole story because I was in the game and Coach was drawing up the play,” James said. “But I looked up by the JumboTron and I saw what [Miller had] been through and where he is now. I think the doctor said he would never walk again or talk again. ... I looked up there and right from there, it became so much more than basketball.”
That’s bigger than LeBron’s 24 points on the night. For all the triviality we can get stuck obsessing over around the NBA, for all the stories of bad deeds that get too much attention, it’s good to put stories like this out there. This is the stuff that shows how sports can inspire, and how human nature can be a tremendous force. It’s the kind of thing we should acknowledge.
It’s just LeBron, a lot of guys around the league do more in the community than is realized, or than is covered.