On Tuesday night, 14-year-old Robbie McNulty was shooting hoops alone in a park in Cambridge when Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas happened to walk by with his wife.
Via the Boston Globe, which has the adorable full story, here’s what happened next:
“He was the only kid there,” Thomas said. “So I’m like, ‘I’m just going to go get some shots up with him.’ When I walked over, he rebounded his own shot and turned around and I’m like, ‘Can I get a couple shots?’ And he stopped. He didn’t even say a word, like his eyes were so big. He just stopped and froze and I’m like, ‘Pass me the ball.’ ”
Basically every sports fan who has ever been shooting hoops alone in a park has envisioned him or herself playing alongside an NBA player, so we can all pretty much imagine what was going through Robbie’s head when his favorite player walked over to shoot with him.
The quotes in this Globe story are all-around just too cute. This was Robbie’s reaction when Thomas approached him:
“I was kind of just like dribbling with my mouth open and looking at him, maybe waiting for him to say something,” Robbie said. “He was like, ‘Can I shoot with you?’ And I’m thinking, ‘Can I shoot with you? Is this actually Isaiah Thomas?’ ”
…
“It was just so nice of him to come over and play with me,” Robbie said. “I bet he didn’t even think it would be that big of a deal to me, but for me, like, it’s crazy. He’s an NBA All-Star and he’s just looking at you and talking to you.”
And here’s Thomas, full aware of what his presence meant to Robbie:
“I love just little interactions like that,” the point guard said. “I know it means a lot, because I was once in his shoes. I was once that kid at games wanting a player to just wave to me and acknowledge me, so I know that feeling and I know that’s my job now.
Naturally, Robbie got a selfie with Thomas. He also texted his mom, “Mom, you’re not even going to believe this. The best thing ever just happened to me.”
Thomas even commented on Robbie’s Instagram post, “Nice rebounding for u.”
Read the whole story and try to resist its adorableness.
