BOSTON – Thirteen years old Grady Smith and his 9-year-old brother Colin from Salem, New Hampshire are huge Celtics fans and their road to the finals is unlike any other.
“It’s my dream. I’ve always wanted to go to a finals match. It’s crazy. It’s mind-blowing,” Grady said.
Six years ago, Grady was diagnosed with ALD, a rare genetic disorder. Lately he has been suffering from side effects from a bone marrow transplant he underwent two years ago.
On Wednesday, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy announced to his millions of followers that he was giving away a set of tickets to Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
It caught the attention of Brian Babz, better known as “BabzOnTheMic,” who tweeted a pitch for Grady to get the tickets. It went viral.
“The Jules Bump”
“It built so quickly that it ended up in the hands of Julian Edelman. And once Julian Edelman got it, you got the bump from Jules, it was there,” Babz said.
“I showed it to him and he had a big smile on his face,” said Jillian Smith, Grady’s mother. “And I was just like everyone else, and their mom is going to want these cards.”
“Within 20 minutes, I got a text from Dave Portnoy, and I thought it was fake,” Jillian said.
But it wasn’t fake. The family was selected for tickets to the Celtics-Mavericks game Thursday night. Grady heard the news Wednesday afternoon during treatment.
CBS Boston
“I’ve always been a fan, maybe since I was maybe even younger than my brother,” Grady said. “It’s a cool feeling. Especially being here with my whole family.”
“I just like how the whole family is together to watch a finals game,” Grady’s brother Colin said.
A break from the battle
Grady says basketball is his therapy. He knows more about this Celtics team than most. Game 1 is a respite from the battle he continues to wage at home.
“As people say, it takes a village,” said Jeffrey Smith, Grady’s father.
“These past few months have been pretty tough on Grady and our family. And this will definitely make him feel good,” Jillian said.
Grady’s prediction for the NBA Finals is: the Celtics in six games.
Brandon Truit
