LeBron James is not only the most dominant NBA player right now, but apparently, he is also one of the nicest guys around.
As reported by For The W!N, a 19-year-old fan and football coach named Emanuel Duncan went to ESPN's Bristol campus and met sports analyst Stephen A. Smith.
Duncan is suffering from a condition called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and the bad news is, he is not expected to live beyond his 20s. He is more than aware that his stay on Earth isn't a long one so he hopes to meet his idol soon.
He said, "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."
LeBron heard Duncan's story and what he did was beyond class. He personally wrote his fan a letter and said amazing things to him.
The Cavs star praised his fan in the letter and said that he is an "unbelievable coach" and said to him that with Duncan considering him as his role model, he is inspired by him.
An excerpt from LeBron's letter reads, "You are living out what it means to be a role model, to be a good person, to put others first and live life to the fullest, doing what makes you happy. It is awesome that you are inspiring so many young kids and teaching them about the importance of living life to the fullest."
According to the Indy Star, the 2-time NBA champion was asked about Emmanuel Duncan during a shoot around and what is the reason he reached out to him.
LeBron said that his story "hit home" because he knows that there is a lot of kids and a lot of people around the world who are in similar situations and knows that it's tough for him knowing that they are trying to find a way out. He also added that he thinks that Duncan's story is unique and meant something to him.
According to Cleveland.com, it seems that the fan inspired LeBron in more ways than one because during the match between the New York Knicks, his team was down for much of the game.
But when the fourth quarter came, James looked revitalized and scored 12 of his points in the last quarter, leading his team to victory. The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Knicks 90-84.
LeBron may get a lot of flak from his critics, but to Duncan, he will always be his role model.
