NBA star James Harden called a fan John Hao to inspire the Michigan State student as he recovers from a tragic shooting on the university campus earlier this month.
Three students were killed and five others - including Hao - were wounded in the shooting February 13 on Michigan State's campus. The 20-year-old was left paralysed from the chest down as a result of the horrific incident.
Harden said members of his team became aware of Hao’s situation given he is a huge fan of the Philadelphia 76ers star. The 33-year-old sent several pairs of sneakers, including a game-worn pair, while he also called Hao on FaceTime to offer encouraging words along with a donation to his GoFundMe page.
“I love when you're smiling,” Harden said on the call which was shown on ‘NBA Today’ on Thursday. “I love when you're smiling, all right? I'm with you. I know it's tough right now, but you have to stay physically strong, you know what I mean? You just got to think positive things and keep pushing and fighting. I got you. I got some guys for you, too.
“I got some things coming your way, hopefully give you some encouragement and make you smile a little bit, you know what I mean? Let me know if you need anything else.”
Hao’s GoFundMe was started by his roommate, Argent Qian, in order to help pay for the student’s medical expenses in the wake of the shooting. The page claimed Hao was left paralysed after he was shot in the back - and Harden simply wants to ensure his fan receives some inspiration after his horrific experience.
“There's things like that, where you sit back and think about just real life and things bigger than basketball,” the 10-time All-Star said after he starred in the 76ers’ 110-105 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. “I heard that he was a fan of mine, so I wanted to get up on that ASAP and just see what I could do, anything I could do.
“The more I can encourage and rub off this energy that I have and give him hope, I feel like that's what I'm here for. And that's what I've got this platform for. Hopefully he can recover and bounce back out of that sooner than later, but I gave him my number, so whenever he ever feels like he needs anything he can call me and I check up on him.”
In the 76ers’ first game back since the All-Star break, Harden put on a show against the Grizzlies with 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to lead Philadelphia to the win over Memphis despite being 17 points down at one stage. The former MVP moved past 76ers legend Allen Iverson for 31st on the NBA’s all-time scoring list in the process.
When asked about the achievement after the game, Harden admitted having the power to help someone like Hao means more to him. He added: “It's bigger than basketball. This is real life, you know what I mean? This is bigger than basketball.
“I’m fortunate just to be in a position where I can make an impact on people's lives. That's what I really care about. That's what I value, and that's what makes me happy, obviously other than basketball, family, things like that. It's a tragedy. He wasn't expecting that. There was nothing he could control. That's the craziest part about it. Anything I can do my part, I'm going to do it.”
