LeBron James Sends Letter of Support to Teen with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Although Emanuel Duncan views LeBron James as a hero, the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar knows the reality.
Duncan is the real inspiration.
Last month, Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star put together a great feature on Duncan, a teenager who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy and is in a wheelchair as a result. For those who are unfamiliar with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, it is a disease that leads to muscle degeneration.
In Doyel's feature, it is made clear that even though the disease results in a short life expectancy, Duncan, 19, is planning for the future. In fact, he wants to be a football coach. He is currently a student-coach at Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis.
Duncan has made a bucket list, however. He's already been to ESPN's campus in Bristol, Connecticut, but there's another sports item on his list.
He wants to meet the King, according to Doyel:
"My bucket list is to meet LeBron. That’s the one thing I want to do. Meet LeBron James. That’s my role model. He inspires me to do everything. To be a good person, to put other people first, to live your life and do what makes you happy. If I meet LeBron James, that would make my day. I wouldn’t ask for anything.
"
Well, James apparently heard about Duncan's admiration for him. The four-time NBA MVP responded by sending the teen a letter of encouragement, along with a jersey and some other items.
That's just a tremendous gesture by James.
The Indiana Pacers host the Cavaliers on Feb. 1. It's probably a safe bet that Duncan will go to the game, and let's hope he gets the opportunity to meet James.
