The 2013 Season-long Kia Community Assist Award winner will be determined by fans – for the first time – and a distinguished panel of NBA judges, including past J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award winners and NBA Legends Bob Lanier and Dikembe Mutombo. Fan voting will take place on a dedicated tab on the NBA Facebook page. The winner of the Season-lone Kia Community Assist Award will receive a $25,000 donation from Kia and the NBA that will go towards towards a charity of their choice.

This year’s 10 nominees for the award are:

Tyson Chandler, New York Knicks

In wake of Hurricane Sandy, Chandler and his wife established Rebound 4 Rockaway, an initiative to aid victims and support rebuilding efforts. He also became a strong supporter of UNICEF after traveling to Africa with the organization this past summer. His trip to Africa also led him to film a PSA for WildAid, an organization dedicated to reducing the human threat to endangered species.

Charity of choice: U.S. Fund for UNICEF

Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets

Faried recently joined Athlete Ally, a non-profit sports resource encouraging all individuals involved in sports to respect every member of their communities, regardless of perceived or actual sexual orientation, gender expression or identity. Faried also supported the message of inclusion by participating as an honorary coach at the 2013 NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified Sports Basketball Game during the NBA All-Star weekend in Houston. He also participated in a Denver Nuggets Special Olympics clinic for 125 athletes from Special Olympics Colorado.

Charity of choice: Lupus Colorado
Kia Community Assist Award: February 2013

Tyler Hansbrough, Indiana Pacers

Hansbrough provides support to Voices Against Brain Cancer, a non-profit organization that raises funding for research and treatment for the disease. Hansbrough watched his older brother battle brain cancer so it’s something that is close to his heart. He also shows appreciation for the military members and their families by treating them to Pacers games throughout the season as part of his Hansbrough’s Sideline Soldiers initiative.

Charity of choice: Voices Against Brain Cancer

David Lee, Golden State Warriors

This season, Lee continued his work as a St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital ambassador and lent his support to Us Against Cancer, an organization that is devoted to funding cancer research and raising awareness. He also donated $25,000 to support the City of Oakland’s annual Thanksgiving Dinner, which was being threatened by budget cuts.

Charity of choice: Us Against Cancer

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

In just his first NBA season, rookie Damian Lillard has made a name for himself in the city of Portland and throughout the entire NBA. As the face of the Trail Blazers’ anti-bullying campaign, Respect, Pass It On, Lillard is passionate about promoting a message of respect for all. He also supports breast cancer awareness and has a genuine connection with the Portland community, particularly within the local schools where he has spent time with the teachers and students.

Charity of choice: Portland Parks & Recreation
Kia Community Assist Award: March 2013

Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves

Despite having his season shortened to just 18 games, Kevin Love continued to be as active in the community as ever. Love is an active supporter of local children and families. His annual Kevin Love Coat Drive has resulted in thousands of coats donated to individuals in need throughout Minneapolis over the past 5 years. This season, he also supported Special Olympics Minnesota as a participant in the Polar Blear Plunge. Also, as an ambassador for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Love has spent time with patients in both Minnesota and Memphis.

Charity of choice: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Kia Community Assist Award: December 2012

Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

Through his CP3 Foundation, the six-time NBA All-Star continues to have a positive impact on communities in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; New Orleans and Los Angeles. Paul is also an active member of the President’s Council on Sports Fitness and Nutrition, and supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Share our Strength, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Prevent Child Abuse America.

Charity of choice: CP3 Foundation
Kia Community Assist Award: April 2013

Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies

A longtime supporter of Make-A-Wish America, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Humane Society of Memphis, Randolph continues to make a difference any way that he can in the community. A standout during holiday initiatives, Z-Bo has also hosted a number of events and shopping sprees for the local community and continued to pay utility bills for residents in need.

Charity of choice: Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis
Kia Community Assist Award: January 2013

Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat

Dwyane Wade and his Wade’s World Foundation have supported a number of non-profit organizations this season, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The nine-time All-Star continues to be an active voice in the promotion of fatherhood and family. He most recently joined best-selling author James Patterson for a national online webcast to help promote literacy among young people.

Charity of choice: Wade’s World Foundation

Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets

Williams supports autism awareness and organizations that directly impact the lives of children through his Point of Hope Foundation. He was very active in the Brooklyn community this season, particularly through work with the Food Bank for New York City and Hurricane Sandy relief and rebuilding efforts. He is a spokesperson for Autism Speaks and he also raised awareness and funding for research for autism awareness during National Autism Awareness Month.

Charity of choice: Point of Hope Foundation
Kia Community Assist Award: November 2012

Kia Motors has been an NBA Cares partner since 2010 and in addition to the Season-long Kia Community Assist Award, the NBA presents the Kia Community Assist Award monthly throughout the season to recognize players for their charitable efforts.

To learn more, please log on to www.nba.com/kiacommunityassist

“All that stuff you pictured as a kid and thought you could do, you were able to do it, even while all these people were doubting you and never believed in you. That’s humbleness and the sign of a person who understood where they wanted to go,” explained Bogues.

“When I was going through it people didn’t realize how tough it was. No one was really looking at little guards at the time and the game was changing from the late 70’s to the early 80’s, but I had to have strong skin and a tough mind because tough times don’t last, tough people do. I never gave up and I always pursued my dreams because I had confidence in myself and I cannot stress that enough, how important it is to just believe in yourself and not being afraid to fail.”

As someone who understands how important it is to have confidence in yourself, Bogues shares his message with today’s youth whenever he gets the chance.

“I always try to tell the kids that they’ve got to believe in themselves. I find so much as I go around that kids second-guess themselves. I tell them that as a kid I would visualize where I wanted to go and every time I would visualize where I wanted to go I would take that next step to try and get there,” said Bogues who sits 17^th on the NBA’s all-time career assists list.

“There are some folks that like to be dreamers and ones that do dreams. The dreamers are the ones that say what they want to do, but once you look up they aren’t doing anything in that direction to make that dream a reality. The ones that do dreams are the ones that take that next step to try to get to where they want to go. You might not always get exactly where you visualized, but those steps will set you up for success and on the same path in some form or fashion.”

Muggsy’s work ethic and confidence comes from positive role models. He has a passion for bettering the community and helping others, as well as enlightening our young people; all because of the influential people he had around him when he was growing up.

“My mom set the stage, she always thought about others first. There was also a gentleman by the name of Leon Howard who taught me how to be appreciative of others and not just yourself when I was growing up and when you understand that at an early age, for some reason you just grow up with that type of heart and passion to help others, you know, and a guy like myself, not having a lot of support from others, that made an impact on my life just knowing that someone believed in me,” explained the 6^th pick in the 1988 NBA Expansion Draft.

“They didn’t know where I was going to end up but they helped give me that confidence that I could do something positive with my life.”

In 2001, Muggsy’s mother passed away. At the time he was very involved in the community and was helping out whenever he could. He even started his own Foundation with the help from his mother, but found it hard to continue after she passed away.

“It kind of took some of my drive away and I wasn’t as involved as I should have been, but I recently just introduced it to the city of Charlotte, we’re going to do it this summer, we’re going to have a Muggsy Bogues Day and I’m going to get the chance to help kids with their self-esteem and show them how to enrich their character.”

He likes to help boost the kids’ self-esteem and confidence and shares with all of them the things he believes will lead them on to the path for a successful life.

“I explain to the kids that I speak to that they can be whatever they want to be, but first they have to have that solid foundation and believe in the Lord. They also have to believe in themselves because if they don’t have the confidence in themselves they’re going to continue to make negative choices in life and get involved with the bad things like drugs and become easily influenced when it comes to doing the wrong things,” he said.

“If you can give kids confidence at an early age then that is huge because you can help be a positive influence on them. I try to give them that positive message every time I talk to them and tell them that the longer they keep onto that positive message, the longer they will stay on that right path.”

As someone who overcame many adversities to get to where he is today, Bogues envisioned himself playing in the NBA when he was young and set goals to make that dream a reality. Being in the NBA got him into the spotlight and landed him a role in the movie Space Jam, alongside Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley and Larry Johnson – and the Looney Tunes characters, of course.

“Oh man, it was such a blast,” he chuckled. “It was a dream that I never even thought I could accomplish. Something like basketball opened up my life to so many things. Being a kid, dreaming with that round ball, it just got me to so many places I never thought I would go,” he continued.

“Doing the Space Jam movie with characters like Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Bugs Bunny, it’s just an unbelievable feeling and it’s one of those movies that is going to be around even after we’re gone. We had the greatest basketball player in the world participating in it so to be a part of that I was just very thankful and very blessed.”

For more information on what Muggsy Bogues is up to, visit http://www.muggsybogues.com/

For the past week the NBA has been encouraging fans to “go green” through their NBA Green Week initiative presented by Sprint. NBA Green Week has featured special on-court apparel, green giveaways, community greening projects, recycling programs and auctions to encourage fans to “go green.” This year marks the fifth year of the league-wide Green Week hosted in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

During NBA Green Week the NBA launched Mosaic, an online tool designed to measure environmental impact. In partnership with NRDC and Renewable Choice Energy, Mosaic will allow all NBA teams and venues to track, analyze, and identify cost saving opportunities within their environmental footprint. The league has also been working with Sterling Planet – a leading supplier of renewable energy – to offset the amount of electricity used during all 67 games that took place during Green Week. Through this commitment the NBA has avoided the use of more than 10 million pounds of carbon, which has been the largest offset initiative by any sports league worldwide, and the only one to involve every team in the league.

Throughout NBA Green Week presented by Sprint, adidas outfitted every player in the league with 100 percent organic cotton adidas shooting shirts. Players also wore NBA Green headbands and wristbands made from 45 percent organic cotton, while NBA coaches and broadcasters wore NBA Green lapel pins, all in effort to raise additional awareness. Each team across the league hosted in-arena nights, along with a variety of events and activities in the community to support environmental protection. One of the fan contests that the NBA and Sprint came up with called Pledge to Recycle is a contest NBA fans can enter through May 16 by pledging to recycle their old mobile devices. Fans that enter this contest have a chance to win the grand prize trip to the 2013 Finals.

The NBA and Sprint encouraged fans to do their part for the environment through wireless device recycling events that were hosted by current and former NBA players in three NBA markets – Los Angeles (Clippers), Boston, and Orlando. As part of the Sprint Buyback program, fans were able to recycle their eligible phones from any carrier and received up to a $300 service credit from Sprint, along with autographs, tickets to upcoming games, and other giveaway items. Through this program, Sprint has been able to keep more than 28 million wireless devices out of landfills, ranking them third on Newsweek’s list of the 500 greenest companies in America.

NBA Green Week may be one week long, but NBA Green is a year-round program and the NBA family continues to identify and implement environmentally sound practices across all of its business areas. To date, five NBA team arenas – Philips Arena (Atlanta Hawks), AmericanAirlines Arena (Miami Heat), Rose Garden Arena (Portland Trail Blazers), Toyota Center (Houston Rockets) and Amway Center (Orlando Magic) – have received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Aside from that, five NBA teams have installed solar panels on their arenas, garages, or practice facilities – the Golden State Warriors’ practice facility, the US Airway Center in Phoenix, STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, the Pepsi Center in Denver, and the AT&T Center in San Antonio. Also, in September 2009, the Minnesota Timberwolves installed a green roof spanning 115,000 square feet on the Target Center, making it the first green roof on any North America arena and currently the nation’s fifth largest.

The NBA and WNBA are also proud members of the Green Sports Alliance, a non-profit organization that launched in 2011 with a mission to reduce the environmental impact of professional sports and to inspire fans to join in these efforts. Participants include the Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle Storm, Toronto Raptors and the NBA league office.

To learn more about NBA Green and NBA Green Week programs, visit http://www.nba.com/green/

It has been a busy week for the NBA and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital who have teamed up with The V Foundation for Cancer Research and ESPN in the fight against pediatric cancer by raising awareness and funds to support lifesaving work for children.

From February 24 to March 4, the NBA family, led by Hoops for St. Jude Ambassadors and ESPN commentators, will engage fans through this relationship designed to advance cancer research and patient care benefiting children and families that are battling pediatric cancer. All of the donations made towards The V Foundation during this campaign will go towards cancer research benefiting St. Jude’s patients.

The final day of the campaign, March 4, will mark the 20^th anniversary of The V Foundation, which was founded in 1993 by ESPN and legendary N.C. State basketball coach and ESPN commentator Jim Valvano. As a cancer patient himself, the late Valvano worked to put an end to the disease by championing investment in promising young cancer researchers. To date, with help from ESPN, The V Foundation has helped carry Valvano’s dream forward by awarding more than $100 million in cancer research grants.

St. Jude and The V Foundation are joined by ESPN and the National Basketball Association, who have committed to promote the campaign within a slate of nationally televised games and broadcasts during Hoops for St. Jude week and through a new public service announcement that will air throughout the week on ESPN, TNT and NBA TV.

“The work that St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital does is nothing short of amazing,” said Los Angeles Lakers forward and third-year Hoops for St. Jude Ambassador Pau Gasol in a press release. “I have visited the hospital many times and have witnessed first-hand the impact of the support it receives. Funding from The V Foundation makes our fight against cancer even stronger.  St. Jude’s lifesaving work wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of others.”

Other Hoops for St. Jude Ambassadors include Pau’s brother Marc Gasol, David Lee, Kevin Love, Lionel Hollins and George Karl.

Fans will have the opportunity to support the pediatric cancer awareness campaign in a variety of ways, including donating at www.stjude.org/hoops or www.jimmyv.org/nba, or donating $10 by texting HOPE to 50333 or JIMMY to 80888 (message and data rates may apply).

Below is the schedule of the nationally televised and broadcasted NBA games where the campaign’s message and cause will be promoted:

Schedule of Nationally Televised NBA Games: Feb. 24 – March 4 (EST)

Schedule of Nationally Broadcast NBA Games on ESPN Radio: Feb. 24 – March 3 (EST)

Sun., 2/24        LAL @ DAL; 1pm/ESPN Radio

Thurs., 2/28     PHI @CHI; 8pm/ESPN Radio

Sun., 3/3          MIA @ NYC; 1pm/ESPN Radio

Sun., 3/3          OKC @ LAC; 3:30pm/ESPN Radio

The contributions of St. Jude supporters make it possible for the hospital to treat the toughest cases of childhood cancer, with some of the best outcomes in the world. The best part of it all, no family ever pays St. Jude for anything that they do. St. Jude has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and has helped push the survival rates from 20 to 80 percent since the hospital opened in 1962, a feat that is truly remarkable. They freely share its research discoveries with doctors and scientists around the world, so that one child saved at St. Jude means thousands of others saved worldwide.

For more information on The V Foundation for Cancer Research, visit http://www.jimmyv.org/

For  more information on St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, visit http://www.stjude.org/

Currently averaging 12 points and 9 rebounds per game, Faried has been a key member of the Denver Nuggets who sit in 5^th place in the Western Conference. The Nuggets have one of the best home records in the NBA, which has helped play a part in the rapid growth of Faried’s fan base. As much as he has helped the Nuggets on the court, the efforts that he continues to put forth off the court have played a huge role as well. He has helped make a difference in the Denver community and is slowly starting to make a difference across the country, and hopefully worldwide sometime soon.

As a proud son of two lesbian moms, Faried stood up in January to support gay marriage equality with a PSA geared toward legislation in Colorado. As part of this, Faried has joined Athlete Ally, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging athletes, coaches, parents, fans and other members of the sports community to respect individuals involved in sports, regardless of perceived or actual sexual-orientation or gender identity or expression. With someone like Faried jumping on board to support this cause, it is clear that sports culture is shifting towards inclusion.

“Becoming an Athlete Ally gives me the opportunity to spread a message of inclusiveness throughout the NBA and our country. I have two moms and I love them both very much. I respect, honor and support them in every way. The bond I have with them has made me realize that I want all members of the LGBT community – whether they are parents, players, coaches or fans – to feel welcome in the NBA and in all of our communities,” Faried said in a press release.

As an Athlete Ally, Faired now joins Baltimore Raven and Super Bowl Champion Brendon Ayanbadejo; Chris Kluwe of the Minnesota Vikings, who was very vocal this year through blog posts, interviews and tweets; Scott Fujita of the Cleveland Browns; Connor Barwin of the Houston Texans; Australian rugby star David Pocock; Australian rules football player Brock McLean; and plenty of college athletes who have already signed on.

Faried will act as a liaison between the organization and the NBA, help promote Athlete Ally’s mission to end homophobia in sports by speaking out to his team, league and fan base, and encourage his colleagues to join in the effort.

The announcement comes as an extension of Athlete Ally’s ongoing relationship with the NBA. In August, the organization worked in partnership with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) to deliver a pioneering LGBT awareness training to the 2012 NBA rookies, which included a young Faried.

This is definitely just the beginning, but with more and more athletes speaking up each year there is no doubt that someday in the near future all of this will be a problem of the past.

For more information on Athlete Ally, visit http://www.athleteally.com/

Led by captains Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul, the conferences will compete against each other in four All-Star competitions. In addition to this, NBA Cares and State Farm will make a joint donation of $500,000 as part of the event, with $350,000 going to the winning conference’s charities and $150,000 to the runner-up conference’s charities. Selected by their captains, the Eastern Conference will be representing Big Brothers Big Sisters and Make-A-Wish America, while the Western Conference will be representing Boys & Girls Club of America and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.

“State Farm All-Star Saturday Night is a night for the fans and the events provide some of the most memorable moments in NBA history,” Paul told the NBA. “Not only are we playing for bragging rights, but we are also raising money for charity, so it is definitely going to be a great night.”

Dwyane Wade is looking forward to the competition, but is excited about putting on a show for the fans and raising money for charity.

“I’m honored to serve as the captain and represent the Eastern Conference in the first All-Star Saturday Night that will feature the East taking on the West,” Wade mentioned to the NBA. “We are looking forward to a night of rivalries, great competition, and most of all, putting on a great show for the fans.”

As part of the new format, points earned by each conference during the competitions will determine the conference that earns the title of 2013 State Farm All-Star Saturday Night Champion.

State Farm All-Star Saturday Night will take place on February 16^th at the Toyota Center in Houston. The event will consist of Sears Shooting Stars, a competition featuring NBA and WNBA players, as well as NBA legends; the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, a contests of top guards working against the clock to complete a series of passes, free throws, layups and agility drills; the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest; and the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.

The 62^nd NBA All-Star Game will take place the following day at the Toyota Center, which will also host the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge. The NBA All-Star Jam Session will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center, which will also host the Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and the Sprint Pregame Concert.

The concert will feature acts from Grammy Award-winner hip-hop artist Ludacris, Grammy Award-nominated hip-hop artist B.o.B and pop sensation Ke$ha. Ludacris and B.o.B will open up the show with a live performance during NBA TV’s coverage of the Sprint Pregame Concert at 6:00 P.M. ET, while Ke$ha will hit the stage to perform during the live telecast on TNT starting at 7 P.M. ET.

The Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will air live on ESPN from the Sprint Arena at NBA All-Star Jam Session on Friday, February 15 at 7 P.M. ET. The game will feature celebrities from film, TV and music, as well as NBA legends and WNBA players.

During the NBA All-Star weekend, the NBA will continue to lend a hand in the community through NBA Cares events. NBA Cares will partner with schools, government, and local non-profit organizations in Houston and surrounding areas to highlight the league’s grassroots and community initiatives that reach millions of young people and their parents while providing critical resources to community-based programs.

The Community Caravan will continue on Thursday, February 14, with events at two Houston elementary schools, featuring educational and fitness-related activities and donations to help students achieve academic success. That evening, the NBA FIT All-Star Youth Celebration presented by ExxonMobil, with participation by 500 youths from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston and Houston Parks and Recreation, will take place following the tip-off of NBA All-Star Jam Session.

Additional Community Caravan events at Jam Session include NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified Sports Basketball Game, with support from The Coca-Cola Company; Dribble to Stop Diabetes clinics in collaboration with the American Diabetes Association and Sanofi US; the 15^th annual NBA / WNBA All-Star Wheelchair Classic; a Special Olympics basketball clinic; and a wheelchair basketball clinic.

For the sixth straight year, the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service will highlight the Community Caravan. More than 1,500 members of the NBA family, including this year’s All-Stars, will join the Houston Food Bank, KaBOOM!, Rebuilding Together and Share Our Strength, along with adidas, Kia, Reliant, SAP, and State Farm to support families in need throughout Houston as part of the Day of Service on Friday, February 15.

Also happening this weekend, four children from Make-A-Wish and their families will be treated to an unforgettable experience, including one-on-one time with this year’s All-Stars. In addition, as part of the NBA Coaches for Kids program, 30 children from Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston will attend both All-Star teams’ practices and will get a chance to have a meet-and-greet with one of the All-Star coaches.

As part of the NBA Cares Hoops for Troops program, the league will also provide continued support of the military by hosting more than 1,000 service men and women at several NBA All-Star events throughout the weekend. Aside from this, a portion of the NBA All-Star FIT Run, Walk & Dribble ticket sales, with support from Reliant, will benefit the USO.

NBA Cares continues to change the lives of many. Each year they manage to top what they did the previous year and they don’t plan on slowing down. They will continue to grow year after year; just like they continue to help the smiles grow on children’s faces all around the world.

Since its inception, the NBA Coaches for Kids program has brought out more than 150,000 BGCA members to NBA games throughout the league and has contributed nearly $2 million to BGCA, which has helped the nonprofit organization coordinate this experience nationwide.

This year, in addition to providing BGCA members with tickets to games and in-arena interactive opportunities, the program will also donate $1,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs that the participating coaches attended or to a Boys & Girls Club in their current team city.

A highlight of the program will take place during the 2013 NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston when 30 young members of Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston will get the opportunity to watch the East and West All-Star team practices, followed by a special meet and greet with one of the All-Star coaches.

During this season’s pregame meet and greets with BGCA members, the coaches and trainers will emphasize the importance of the BGCA’s Great Futures Impact Plan. This recently launched plan highlights three missions, which form the basic expectations of every BGCA member.

The first of three missions that they highlight is academic success. What they expect from their members is for them to graduate from high school, get ready for college, trade school, the military or employment. The second is good character and citizenship. They must be an engaged citizen and get involved in their community, register to vote and model strong character. The third mission is healthy lifestyle. They want the members to adopt a healthy diet, practice healthy lifestyle choices and make a lifelong commitment to personal fitness.

Not only do NBA coaches and trainers help athletes better their game and grow as athletes and human beings year after year, they also help thousands of kids each year grow as individuals. Now in its fifth season, the NBA Coaches for Kids program continues to grow year after year and will continue to grow for many years to come.

To learn more about NBA Cares their programs, visit http://www.nba.com/cares/overview.html

For more information on Boys & Girls Clubs of America, visit http://www.bgca.org/Pages/index.aspx

On Wednesday, January 9, 2013, LeBron James received a request from a fan on his Facebook page. In the post, Lindsey Peterson asked LeBron James if he would be able to meet her best friend Joey Anderson who was battling brain cancer and was going to be in attendance Thursday for the Heat’s game in Portland. She mentioned in the post that his dream before he passes away is to watch LeBron James and the Miami Heat play live. She knew it was a long shot but figured there was no harm in trying, especially for one of her dearest friends.

Well, LeBron James saw the post and made Joey’s dream a reality.

LeBron took some time after the Heat’s loss in Portland to meet Joey, but he didn’t show up alone. Accompanying LeBron was his teammate and two-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade. The two signed autographs for Joey and took photos with him after the game and spent some time with the dedicated Heat fan.

The post received a lot of positive feedback online and Lindsey was able to make a difference in her best friend’s life. What she did for her friend is very admirable and for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to respond to the comment and take action, it is something that you admire from a fan’s perspective.

Acts like this remind us that professional athletes are regular people just like the rest of us. Some would think that guys like LeBron James, who are adored worldwide, can’t even run their social media pages half of the time because of their busy schedules, but after something like this it is evident that no matter how big their names are they still take the time to listen to their fans and read what they have to say. The players mean a lot to the fans and the fans mean just as much, if not more, to the players.

Fan of the Miami Heat or not, it is hard not to appreciate what LeBron James and Dwyane Wade did to put a smile on Joey’s face, especially after a tough loss on the road.

Five years ago, Cody had a brain tumor in his spinal column near the base of his brain that required surgery. While he was in the hospital he spent his time watching the Timberwolves and examining their every move. It was what kept him going everyday. One of his doctors stopped by each morning and chatted with him for about 15 minutes about what the Wolves did the night before. They would discuss coaching decisions, key moments in the game and praise the top players. While his friends were off playing he was stuck in a wheelchair, so he turned to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the NBA for inspiration to learn to walk again and gradually learn to run again.

Now, the Timberwolves were reaching out to Cody through the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help make one of their biggest fans’ wishes come true. His wish was to travel to an away game with his favourite team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and that’s exactly what they did for him.

Cody received a personal invitation via video message from his favourite player, Kevin Love, to attend a home game against the Hawks on January 8 and to travel with the team later that night to their away game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which was the very next day.  He got to sit courtside for the warm-ups, visited with players, and then joined his family and 15 of his closest friends in a suite to watch the Wolves host the Hawks.

During the game, the injured Kevin Love personally delivered a gift bag to Cody that was full of Wolves gear and the two spent time together watching the game. After the game, Cody and his family headed to the airport for the team flight to Oklahoma City.

While in Oklahoma City, Cody got to have breakfast with the team at the hotel, sat courtside for the shootaround, behind the Timberwolves’ bench during the game, and even got to meet Kevin Durant and some of the Thunder players and the Thunder Dancers throughout the night.

As someone who has been a lifelong supporter of the Minnesota Timberwolves, they sure did make him feel like he was a member of the team. When they were checking in to their hotel in Oklahoma City, Wolves guard Ricky Rubio approached Cody to ask him how his experience on the flight was and if everything was all right.

This is definitely something that Cody, his family, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation will remember for a long time. The NBA and other leagues around the world are continuing to show everyone that they appreciate the people that support them on a daily basis and give them the opportunity to play by putting forth efforts like this within the community and giving back to those in need. The Wolves did not only show Cody that they appreciate his support, but that they have his back and he’s a member of the team.

To learn more about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit http://www.wish.org/

To learn more about the Minnesota Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation, visit http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/community/fastbreak_foundation.html