Orlando Magic players brighten day of Apopka student with cerebral palsy - tribunedigital-orlandosentinel
The Magic play the New York Knicks tonight at 7 p.m. It's not exactly a marquee matchup and as we've discussed (and discussed and discussed) the Magic will be playing to surpass the Los Angeles Lakers for home court advantage in the playoffs.
Everybody's healthy, Stan Van Gundy still won't rest his players and uhh the Knicks have a guy named Tracy McGrady you might have heard of.
And while ruminating about all that after shootaround today, I spotted a really sweet scene unfolding on the court.
After signing a No. 12 jersey, Magic center Dwight Howard helped 21-year-old Brandon Young from Apopka put it on, then invited Young to join his daily post-practice (or post-shootaround) drills.
Young has cerebral palsy. He's blind in his left eye. He has a box implanted in his chest through which his father can remotely help calm his epileptic seizures. He loves the Magic and because he does, his whole family does also.
This morning Young's parents, Michael and Nancy, brought him to shootaround to meet some of the players.
"It's unbelievable. All the stuff he goes through on a daily basis. I don't know how I would do it if I was in his position," Howard said. "It's great to see the effect, sometimes we don't even know it, just saying hey to a kid, smiling how big of a difference that makes to their life. Brandon, he was so excited he was really jumping for joy, just to be out here, making a shot. Me and the rest of the guys, that's something all of us really enjoy."
His parents didn't tell him in advance that they would be bringing him to RDV Sportsplex today. They thought he would get too excited if he knew.
"If he knew this he would just bug me and bug me, 'How many more days? What are they going to say when they see me?'" Nancy Young said, fighting tears. "I didn't tell him until I picked him up at school and said 'We found out the Magic was going to be playing at the RDV, practicing and we're going to go watch.' The first thing he said was, 'Can I meet all the players?' I said I don't know, we'll see."
Several other Magic players greeted Young as well. I tried to watch in between interviews. Jameer Nelson went out to say hello right before talking to us. Adonal Foyle walked over and gave him a hug. Marcin Gortat met with him. I'm sure I missed some. Young just loved it.
"We have to really be thankful for just living and having a good life," Howard said. "A lot of people go through a lot of things. Life, for us, could be a lot worse. We complain over the little things. There's a guy who has a lot going on with his life, health wise, and instead of him pouting and acting upset, he's out here smiling and having fun."
Orlando Magic players brighten day of Apopka student with cerebral palsy - tribunedigital-orlandosentinel
The Magic play the New York Knicks tonight at 7 p.m. It's not exactly a marquee matchup and as we've discussed (and discussed and discussed) the Magic will be playing to surpass the Los Angeles Lakers for home court advantage in the playoffs.
Everybody's healthy, Stan Van Gundy still won't rest his players and uhh the Knicks have a guy named Tracy McGrady you might have heard of.
And while ruminating about all that after shootaround today, I spotted a really sweet scene unfolding on the court.
After signing a No. 12 jersey, Magic center Dwight Howard helped 21-year-old Brandon Young from Apopka put it on, then invited Young to join his daily post-practice (or post-shootaround) drills.
Young has cerebral palsy. He's blind in his left eye. He has a box implanted in his chest through which his father can remotely help calm his epileptic seizures. He loves the Magic and because he does, his whole family does also.
This morning Young's parents, Michael and Nancy, brought him to shootaround to meet some of the players.
"It's unbelievable. All the stuff he goes through on a daily basis. I don't know how I would do it if I was in his position," Howard said. "It's great to see the effect, sometimes we don't even know it, just saying hey to a kid, smiling how big 
of a difference that makes to their life. Brandon, he was so excited he was really jumping for joy, just to be out here, making a shot. Me and the rest of the guys, that's something all of us really enjoy."
His parents didn't tell him in advance that they would be bringing him to RDV Sportsplex today. They thought he would get too excited if he knew.
"If he knew this he would just bug me and bug me, 'How many more days? What are they going to say when they see me?'" Nancy Young said, fighting tears. "I didn't tell him until I picked him up at school and said 'We found out the Magic was going to be playing at the RDV, practicing and we're going to go watch.' The first thing he said was, 'Can I meet all the players?' I said I don't know, we'll see."
Several other Magic players greeted Young as well. I tried to watch in between interviews. Jameer Nelson went out to say hello right before talking to us. Adonal Foyle walked over and gave him a hug. Marcin Gortat met with him. I'm sure I missed some. Young just loved it.
"We have to really be thankful for just living and having a good life," Howard said. "A lot of people go through a lot of things. Life, for us, could be a lot worse. We complain over the little things. There's a guy who has a lot going on with his life, health wise, and instead of him pouting and acting upset, he's out here smiling and having fun."