Meet Jason McElwain.
image source: http://www.espn.go.com/photo/2006/0413/nba_a_jason_395.jpg
Jason has Autism, and was never able to play basketball. This never stopped him though as he volunteered much of his time to help the team he so
desperately wanted to play for. Throughout his High School life, he stayed on the side lines in his shirt and tie every day to cheer on his peers who
had the opportunity to play. It was a tragedy that autism was preventing this child from his dream, suiting up for his beloved high school basketball
team.
But in his senior year, on the final game of the season, his coach Jim Johnson gave him a uniform and told him to sit on the bench for the game just
like many of the other players do. Jason took the shirt & tie off for a game, and supported the teams uniform for the first time ever. With a few
minutes to go, and the team up by a few, the coach decided to put Jason into the game. As you will see in the video below, the place absolutely
erupted.
Jason missed his first two shots, but then buried six 3 pointers back-to-back to finish the game with a total of 20 points. He nailed his final 3
pointer at the buzzer, which had the crowd rush the floor to celebrate with their class mate.
This is just one of them heart warming stories that make you feel good. This kid was never able to be a part of the team, so what did he do? He
sacrificed everything he could to take part in something he loved so much. Just being a part of this was more than enough for the child. But the
kindness shown by his coach, teammates, and class mates is something we do not see on a day to day basis.
Here is a video that introduces you to Jason, his coach Jim, and a little bit of what this day has done to Jason's life.
Do yourself a favor and take 5 minutes and 42 seconds to watch this film. You will be glad you did.
Jason McElwain - A True Inspiration
This was a special done during Game 4 of the 2006 NBA Finals.
