Kevin Grow, a Pennsylvania teenager who has Down syndrome, signed a two-day contract with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers this week. Why?
The high-school senior and decorated Special Olympics veteran had served as the manager for Bensalem (Pa.) High School's basketball team.
He never got the chance to play during his four years on the job until this month, however, when coach John Mullin put him in during the fourth quarter.
In the team's penultimate game, Grow notched a free throw, a steal and a basket. The next night, Mullin put him in again, and he proved it was no fluke.
Coming in for the final two minutes of the game, Kevin Grow nailed four three-pointers, including a buzzer-beater, on his way to a game-high 14 points!
His feel-good highlight reel went viral, and on Monday, the 18-year-old standout signed a two-day contract with his hometown Philadelphia 76ers.
"We were thrilled to have Kevin here," team spokesman Michael Preston said. "To be able to share this experience with him is something we'll remember for years."
Sixers coach Brett Brown says he saw the video and came up with the idea.
"You just walk away and have a little bit more appreciation for a bunch of things," he told reporters. "It's a grounding effect when you see something like that."
Grow couldn't stop grinning as he proudly displayed his practice jersey, ate a pre-practice meal with his new teammates and then hit the court for practice Monday.
"By far, Kevin's favorite team is the Sixers, and he was so excited just to be able to come down here and see practice," his sister Laura told reporters.
His two-day contract ended with a debut at the Sixers game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia Tuesday night.
Sadly, he did not get to play in an NBA game, but close to it.
Grow got his own locker room spot, a customized uniform, warmup gear and sneakers, and an introduction to the crowd alongside the team's starting five.
"This whole thing's just taken a mind of its own," says his sister.
"It's just such a neat experience."
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