WFNY Roundtable: Steal one from the Steelers
November 13, 2015Browns Week 10 uniform combination unveiling
November 13, 2015It isn’t everyday that you see a glowing story about Cleveland athletes in another town’s newspaper, but then again, LeBron James isn’t just your regular Cleveland athlete. The latest story in what is shaping to be a long line of incredible James-related stories that have been penned since his return to Cleveland comes out of Indiana and a heart-warming story penned by former CBS columnist Gregg Doyel.
You see, Doyel penned a well-reported, well-written column (#ActualSportswriting) that involved a young man by the name of Emanuel Duncan. Duncan, a football player, was diagnosed with a terminal disease—Duchenne muscular dystrophy—that slowly turns his muscles into fat. Most men, it’s always males, do not see their 20s, and Duncan is 19, effectively counting down his days.
From Doyel:
His coach is hoping he can graduate next spring. His mom is hoping he can mark off the final item on his bucket list, but she doesn’t know what it is and asks me to find out. (And I did, Mom; I’ll tell you in a minute.)
Emanuel isn’t hoping for a damn thing. He’s planning his future, because that’s the kind of kid he is. Some have lived into their 30s and 40s with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and Emanuel is thinking of being a football coach, which he is right now. He’s a football coach at Lawrence Central, a student-coach, though he’s more than that. …
Emanuel has been to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He’s seen the cars, the mechanics. He joined a wheelchair soccer team and went to Florida for a tournament. Scored a goal. Bucket list stuff, crossed off.
Look, this kid’s hell on wheels. Next time you’re on 71st Street, keep an eye out for the little black sports car. That’s no car, silly. That’s Emanuel, wheeling a mile or so to Walmart or the Dollar Store or wherever he wants to go, because that’s how he lives this life he was given. To the best of his ability, he does what he wants.
What does he want? I ask him for his bucket list. And this is what he says:
“My bucket list is to meet LeBron,” he tells me. “That’s the one thing I want to do. Meet LeBron James. That’s my role model. He inspires me to do everything. To be a good person, to put other people first, to live your life and do what makes you happy. If I meet LeBron James, that would make my day. I wouldn’t ask for anything.”
So, that could have been it, right? Doyel goes on to discuss James with Duncan and then tells him that LeBron would be “lucky” to meet him. Doyel then writes the story, the story about Duncan’s situation and his dreams.
And then this:
LeBron reached out to Emanuel Duncan. Now, a @CureDuchenne expert. This story. Keep growing https://t.co/txniy5Slrz pic.twitter.com/c2WvlGWxxn
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) November 13, 2015
LeBron sent Emanuel Duncan of Indy a signed jersey, some shoes, promise bands and some @beatsbydre headphones. First-class move, @KingJames.
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) November 13, 2015
Someone from James’ team caught wind of Doyel’s story and passed it up the food chain. Just as he has with the children in his foundation, or with Michelle Obama, James used his platform and his position to make a difference in a child’s life.
Here’s James via Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY who caught up with the four-time MVP who is currently out in New York:
“It hit home. It was a situation I found out about. Obviously, I know there’s a lot of kids and there’s a lot people around the world who are in similar situations or situations of their own that’s kind of tough or they’re trying to find a way out, whatever the case may be. I just thought this one was unique, and it means something to me. Just me being myself.”
“I’m in a position that I owe with a lot of responsibility to give back to my fans and to be able to be a role model to them. It’s something I take very, very seriously.”
No doubt there are still LeBron critics who chalk up his Foundation work as a tax write-off, or his calculated quotes as a way to execute upon his leverage as the most powerful man in the NBA. But then there are times like this when even the most critical or cynical runs out of excuses and completely loses all ammunition from a hole-poking standpoint.
There are countless columns penned every day—many empty and baseless, but there are few that truly make a difference. This was one of those few.
6 Comments
Well done Bron. And even if people do questions someone’s motives in doing the good deed–it doesn’t matter. In the end, it’s still a good deed done.
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