Nobody was supposed to wear Kobe Bryant鈥檚 No. 24 at the All-Star festivities in Chicago this weekend. But Chris Carter got to wear his favorite player鈥檚 number Friday night, and he did his hero proud.
Carter, of Fairfax, Virginia, took the court Friday night with legends from the NBA and WNBA, but when the final buzzer sounded, he was the clutch star of the NBA Cares Unified Basketball Game.
A George Mason University Special Olympics athlete, Carter capped what he called 鈥渁 serious comeback鈥� by stealing an inbounds pass and nailing a short jumper with 11.4 seconds left to bring his East team a 44-43 victory.
The unified game brought current and former professional players together with Special Olympics athletes from all over the world.
Carter鈥檚 teammates included Horace Grant, Toni Kukoc and Cappie Pondexter. The West squad included Dikembe Mutombo, Chelsea Gray and Muggsy Bogues.
After a Grant tip-in brought the East within one point, 鈥淚 stole [the ball], made the game-winning shot, and I literally almost cried on the floor,鈥� Carter, a Williamsburg native, told 海角社区app from Chicago on Sunday.
The celebrations don’t stop there. Carter and his coach, Emilio Alonso, got third-row seats to Saturday night鈥檚 slam-dunk contest, 3-point shooting contest and skills competition.
And they鈥檒l be in the house for the All-Star Game proper on Sunday.
鈥淚鈥檓 star-struck now,鈥� Carter said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just been an amazing, amazing, amazing experience.鈥�
‘You’re part of the NBA’
After Friday night鈥檚 game, 鈥淚 woke up at 5 o鈥檆lock in the morning and I couldn鈥檛 go back to sleep,鈥� Alonso said. 鈥淭he way everything鈥檚 gone down, I couldn鈥檛 believe it.鈥�
The two have been blown away by the NBA鈥檚 treatment of the players in the unified game all weekend, starting with a chauffeur at the airport and going on from there.
鈥淭hey treated him like an NBA athlete,鈥� Alonso said. 鈥淎nd they told us that: 鈥榃hen you鈥檙e here this weekend, you鈥檙e part of the NBA.鈥� And they really have made him feel that way.鈥�
Carter, 30, said that in his family, 鈥淏asketball was our love and passion.鈥� He learned the game from his father and uncles.
鈥淚f it weren鈥檛 for those men, I would not be where I鈥檓 at now,鈥� he said.
He鈥檚 a 2016 graduate of George Mason鈥檚 Life Program, which gives people with disabilities the college experience, complete with classes, dorms, internships and independent living skills. That鈥檚 where he got involved with Special Olympics and met Alonso.
鈥淲hen I started coaching Special Olympics, I thought I was only going to do it for a few months to help out,鈥� Alonso said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 been 13 years.鈥�
He said he鈥檚 even more impressed by the Special Olympians than by athletes such as LeBron James.
鈥淭hey actually figure out ways to overcome these disabilities and focus on what abilities they have,” Alonso said.
Alonso focuses on abilities too. He said people routinely ask him what Carter鈥檚 disability is, and after eight years of working with him, he still doesn鈥檛 know.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 ask him. 鈥� I was more interested in what his abilities were. When you鈥檙e forming a team, you want to know 鈥榃hat can you bring to the table?,鈥� not 鈥榃hat can you not bring to the table?鈥� I find a way for everyone to contribute to the team.鈥�
Carter cites his favorite player’s trademark toughness when he explains what it takes to accomplish anything important: 鈥淵ou鈥檝e gotta have the Mamba mentality to do whatever you want to do in life.鈥�
And on Sunday, he can watch the All-Star Game knowing he鈥檚 already been a hero on the court 鈥� just like Kobe.
鈥淵ou just can鈥檛 make this stuff up,鈥� Carter said. 鈥淵ou just can鈥檛.鈥�
You can watch the video of the game on the .
海角社区app’s Kristi King contributed to this report.
