#DustyInHere: Utah Jazz Sign 5-Year-Old With Leukemia To One-Day Deal, Let Him Dunk In A Game
JP Gibson is a 5-year-old Utah Jazz fan. JP Gibson has acute lymphoblastic leukemia. JP Gibson was signed to a one-day contract by the Utah Jazz, and the team let the little guy take the court in a special scrimmage this week. JP Gibson’s story might just reveal to you how dusty it is inside your house or office or wherever you happen to be reading this.
The #dustyinhere-inducing event was part of photographer Jon Diaz’s “Anything Can Be” project, according to ESPN.
Much like the Make-A-Wish Foundation – which takes kids and lets them become superheroes or meet their athlete idols for a day – the “Anything Can Be” project takes kids with cancer and makes storybooks for them. Those storybooks contain shots of the kids living out their dreams and wishes. The program is a part of Millie’s Princess Foundation, which provides financial support to families affected by childhood cancer.
JP’s dream, of course, was to play for the Utah Jazz. So the Jazz signed the 5-year-old free-agent guard to a one-day contract and tweeted a picture of JP holding up his Jazz jersey, surrounded by his family.
Welcome to the Jazz, JP! pic.twitter.com/kI36etzAK2
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 6, 2014
The kicker, the most #dustyinhere part of it all, is seeing JP take the court during a special scrimmage on Monday night. Decked out in pint-sized Jazz gear, Gibson was subbed in late into the third quarter, with Super Mario music playing over the arena sound system. The Jazz inbounded the ball to him.
He then drove the ball past the half court line, sliced through the defense, and threw down a two-handed jam. Well, a two-handed jam with the assistance of Jazz center Rudy Gobert. The crowd went wild.
The boy’s family was elated, of course. JP’s parents, Josh and Megan, were on hand to see their little guy slice through Utah’s defense. His 2-year-old sister, Elsie, was also there.
“JP loves most sports, but basketball is definitely his favorite,” JP’s mom said in a statement released by the Jazz. “When he was just over a year old, he would sit with my husband, Josh, watching games. He started insisting on shooting hoops for an hour each night before bedtime when he was just 15-months-old. He knows he has to be six before he can play Junior Jazz, and he reminds us all the time that he can’t wait until he’s six.”
Junior Jazz is still about a year away, but here’s hoping that JP will be okay with playing for the actual Jazz.
