In his senior year at Middle Creek High School, Rashawn King passed on an opportunity to meet his hero, Miami Heat pro basketball player LeBron James.
Instead, he used his Make-a-Wish request to provide lunch for his friends and classmates.
Not long after being passed over for a shipment of chicken sandwiches, James requested to meet King, then a walk-on freshman at North Carolina Central University. He even gave him an autographed pair of shoes.
When we met King last spring, he had canceled his Wish to meet James in order to give back to the community that supported him in his time of weakness — he missed much of his junior year during his battle with leukemia.
Today, King is still getting stronger every day.
His high school retired his jersey, No. 3. He’s now traded it in for a 35 at NCCU, where he has played in three games this season.
King earned a 2012 Musial Award, also known as a National Sportsmanship Award, from the St. Louis Sports Commission, for his selflessness.
And ultimately, King’s original Wish came true when he met LeBron James. Their introduction was featured in a segment broadcast on ABC during the Miami Heat versus Oklahoma City Thunder game on Christmas Day.
The NCCU Eagles take on the Hampton Pirates tonight at 7 p.m., for Hampton’s senior night. The game concludes NCCU’s regular season.
Expect to see more of King on the court. He finishes chemotherapy treatment in September.
