Let’s kick off 2014 on a high note, shall we?
On Sunday, the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and the Mid-South Make-a-Wish Foundation made 8-year-old Charvis Brewer’s dreams come true by “drafting” him. As noted by a press release on Grizzlies.com, Charvis became the youngest player to be drafted in the 67-year history of the professional basketball league.
Mike Conley and Grizzlies play-by-play announcer Pete Pranica surprised Charvis, who has cerebral palsy, with a lunchtime visit on Sunday, according to the team’s website. After lunch, Charvis signed his contract and attended practice, becoming the team’s de facto head coach for a day.
Ari Alexander from WMCTV.com describes the scene:
Right away, Charvis made it known who the man in practice is by making decisions and blowing the whistle he got from Z-Bo. "I like this guy! You're a good coach!" said Mike Miller. He met all of his teammates and even tried to change their roles in the offense. Then it was time to watch and critique practice. "He better hit this one. Shoot this one! Now guard each other in practice. Why they ain't guarding each other? Where the coach at? He ain't doing nothing, he's just standing right there," said Charvis.
Zach Randolph, one of the boy’s two favorite players on the team, gave him a personal tour around the Grizzlies’ locker room:
Charvis Brewer gets a tour of the @memgrizz locker room courtesy of @MacBo50. #MakeAWish #NBAGiveBIG #MEM pic.twitter.com/bPnhftLLrt
-- Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) December 30, 2013
Charvis and his family also attended Monday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls as part of the wish-come-true.
To see more of Charvis’ experience with the Grizzlies this past weekend, check out this video from Grizzlies.com.
Not such a bad way to ring in the new year, right?
So glad you’re on our team, Charvis! #GrizzNation #MEM #NBAGiveBIG #MakeAWish //t.co/kjVk0BbmeU
-- Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) December 31, 2013