James Harden is handing out perhaps his most important assist yet.
The Philadelphia 76ers guard Harden went viral this week over his awesome gesture for 20-year-old John Hao. A student at Michigan State, Hao was one of the victims of the shooting at the university earlier this month and was left paralyzed from the chest down after getting shot.
Malika Andrews of ESPN revealed on Thursday that Hao, who is a huge Harden fan, got a FaceTime call from the bearded star while in the hospital. Harden also presented Hao with some sneakers (including a game-worn pair) and contributed to Hao’s GoFundMe page that was set up to help with the medical expenses.
“Everything will work itself out, be strong,” Harden told Hao during the call. “You’re alright. You’ll be alright, I promise you are."
“I love when you’re smiling too,” Harden added. “I love when you’re smiling alright, I’m with you. I know it’s tough right now but you have to stay physically strong … You just gotta think positive things.”
Here is the heartwarming video:
Thanks in part to Harden, Hao’s GoFundMe page has raised over $350,000 in less than a week. The link to the page can be found here.
Harden, who is averaging 21.4 points and 10.8 assists per game this season, was the NBA MVP in 2018. Now he is serving as the MVP for a fan in their time of need.
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