15 Sports Kids Living the Dream

The LeBron James Kid is living the dream, right? His Vine went viral, and now he gets to meet famous NBA players and announce lineups. Not bad.

Young Terrance Jackson (LB kid's real name) isn't the only pint-sized sports fan who has gotten a great deal lately. Andre Drummond let a kid sit next to him on the Detroit Pistons bench during a game. A few Barcelona fans invaded a practice and were welcomed by the team.

Here are 15 sports kids having awesome experiences, perhaps (probably) inciting envy even in adults. 

Courtside Kids

Who wants a dirty pair of sneakers? Everyone, if they once belonged to retiring NBA legend Kobe Bryant.

At the tail end of a game against the Denver Nuggets in early March, Bryant signed his game-worn shoes and handed them off to a couple of nearby kids.

The gesture was nice and all, but let's be honest. Shoes or no shoes, these kids were sitting courtside at an NBA game—that's dreamy enough.  

Watermelon Boy

Whether eating an entire watermelon qualifies as "living the dream" or not is up for the debate, but this young cricket fan sure seemed to be enjoying himself.

In fact, images of Mitchell Schibeci downing the entire fruit—rind and all—at an Australian cricket match in January went viral. According to Ashley Donnelly of BBC News, Schibeci said "he devised the stunt to get his face on the game's big screen."

Mission accomplished. Donnelly reported #watermelonboy actually started trending in Australia.

Internet fame and a whole mess of vitamins? Not bad for an afternoon's work.

NHL Autograph Kid

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Wiehe is a 13-year-old hockey fan who has attended the NHL All-Star festivities three times, according to Adam Sparks of the Tennessean.

In January, Wiehe and his parents were on hand for the 2016 events, adding to an apparently impressive collection of autographs.

According to Sparks, Wiehe has an ultraorganized, alphabetized autograph system, and he was able to snag dozens more in Nashville. He said, "When I see a player I know, I just say their name to my parents, grab the right page and run."

This kid spends his days running down and meeting some of hockey's biggest stars—not bad. 

Lip Syncers

Several kids got to meet National League MVP Bryce Harper at the Washington Nationals' Winterfest in December.

One young fan even had the opportunity to join Harper on stage during a lip-sync battle. The two sang an adorable rendition of "My Girl." Other kids got in on the action, too, and pitcher Max Scherzer even played a little inflatable guitar.

Arsenal Fan

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

Arsenal's bid for a third consecutive FA Cup ended in March, but not before one lucky kid got a chance to enjoy an impromptu celebration with forward Theo Walcott.

After a 3-1 victory over Sunderland in January, Walcott chose a young fan from the stands, brought him onto the field to celebrate and gave him a jersey.

Very Cam Newton-esque. Very cool.

Porzingis Fan

Remember the little New Your Knicks fan who cried when his team drafted Kristaps Porzingis?  

Well, not only has he gotten over the whole devastation thing, but the kid has also become a huge Porzingis fan and even met the Knicks rookie.  

The two took a selfie together ahead of a January game at Madison Square Garden and posed for another courtside photo a week later.

Also, this crying Knicks fan was at the NBA draft and apparently takes in Knicks games from killer seats on the reg (or at least has stood on the court a few times). Not bad. 

Little Panthers Fan

Sometimes it's all about the reaction. The Carolina Panthers made a habit of giving away touchdown balls to young fans throughout the 2015 NFL season, and one lucky girl was absolutely thrilled to receive one.

After scoring in the divisional round matchup against the Seattle Seahawks in January, running back Jonathan Stewart promptly handed the ball off to the happiest NFL fan in North Carolina.

Seriously, just check out her reaction. Best day ever.

Pickup Ballers

Officer Bobby White of the Gainesville Police Department in Florida gained Internet fame in January when he responded to a noise complaint directed at children playing basketball outside. Instead of breaking up the game, White joined in.

The police department said in a Facebook post, "We're going to let kids be kids. We are going to focus on the ones that commit crimes. #HoopsNotCrime," per Faith Karimi of CNN.

About a week later, White and a few other officers showed up for a rematch and brought a special guest. The kids were shocked to see NBA great Shaquille O'Neal as a "backup" for the police team.

Drummond's Buddy

Near the end of a game against the Toronto Raptors in February, Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond found himself with a young visitor on the bench.

As the little kid approached Drummond from behind his chair, the big man picked him up and sat him down right there on the bench.

Who is this young man? How did he get so close to the bench? What was he saying to Drummond? All of these answers are unclear, but one thing is for sure—that kid had a sweet night.

Speedy Reds Fan

Norm Hall/Getty Images

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton stole 57 bases in 2015—one shy of Miami Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon's league-leading 58—so his speed was a hot topic during the Reds Caravan fan event in January.

One girl actually challenged Hamilton to a footrace. Reminiscent of another sports kid living the dream, the famous Jamaican trainer who outran Usain Bolt on Ellen, the girl defeated Hamilton. And she got an autographed jersey on top of it.

Thomas Rawls Fan

In December, a young Seahawks fan, Sophie, received a Thomas Rawls jersey for Christmas.  

Her family posted a photo of her opening it to Instagram, and the Seahawks running back took notice. Rawls invited Sophie to visit the practice facility. According to the Instagram posts, compiled by Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com, Sophie got a chance to score a touchdown on the field and meet several other players.

It looks like it was a good day for both of them.

Barcelona Fans

In March, Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo (via SI.com) reported three schoolchildren ditched class and somehow weaseled into an FC Barcelona practice during an open media session.

Not only that, but once inside the facility, Barca players embraced the youngsters, welcoming them into practice and even signing autographs.

International superstars like Neymar and Lionel Messi play for Barca, a La Liga juggernaut that hasn't lost in 39 matches. 

Not to condone skipping school, but, man, that's living the dream.

Warm-Up Kid

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry's pregame warm-up routine has become a hot attraction at home games. In December, Ben Cohen of the Wall Street Journal reported fans were showing up earlier and earlier to catch a glimpse of the MVP's show of skills.

In January, one special fan got a chance to not only watch Curry's warm-up, he got to join in on the action. Young Noah Cutler actually stayed in step with Curry, too. Impressive stuff.

Young Golfer

Imagine shooting a hole-in-one…at all. It's stellar. Now imagine doing it in front of golf legend Tiger Woods.

Eleven-year-old Taylor Crozier doesn't have to imagine—it happened to him at the Playgrounds at Bluejack National in March.

Crozier's ace was the first shot ever taken at the newly opened course in Texas, which was designed by Woods, according to Rishi Iyengar of Time. Crozier got a loud ovation and a hug from the man himself after the gorgeous shot.  

The LeBron James Kid

Young Terrance Jackson first showed up in a Vine that went viral in 2015. His unique way of saying "LeBron James" over and over captured the attention of sports and Internet patrons everywhere, and earned him over 53 million loops and counting.

Jackson resurfaced in 2016, much to the delight of his fans. According to Jordan Heck of Sporting News, Jackson starred in a spoof of his original Vine, this time supporting Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins and his bid for the NBA All-Star Game.

Later, Jackson got a chance to announce James himself at the Cavs vs. Kings game in March.