Trans. May 22 11:55 ET (May 22 11:55 ET ) If you're like me or my friend Trey Kerby , this photo of Russell Westbrook high-fiving a young victim of the tornado that devastated Oklahoma City and Moore, Okla., on Monday filled your heart to bursting, and also made you want to know a little bit more about the injured Oklahoma City Thunder point guard's new friend.
First off: The little guy is Grayson Ketchie. He's 3 years old, he's the big brother of a 6-month-old named Brayden and, based on the company he keeps, appears to be a boss. On Monday afternoon, the brothers were at a day care facility destroyed by the storm; while Brayden came out unscathed, Grayson did sustain some injuries, which landed him in the Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center.
And that's where Westbrook and several of his Thunder colleagues come into the story, according to Nick Gallo of the Thunder's official website :
[...] the Ketchie’s story has a happy ending. Both of their children will be okay, and as they were recovering, they were one of the many families the Thunder visited at the Children’s Hospital the day after the tragic storm. Russell Westbrook, Jeremy Lamb, Hasheem Thabeet, DeAndre Liggins and Head Coach Scott Brooks all met with families recovering from the horrific tornado in the PICU. The highlight of the day was when Westbrook, despite being in a wheelchair as he recovers from his torn right meniscus, played with Grayson, exchanged high-fives and blew bubbles.
“He played with Grayson so wonderfully,” [mother Janna] Ketchie said. “It’s so awesome. They’re great guys… It’s amazing to see that he’s a professional basketball player who we know from nobody and he’s blowing bubbles with my son to make my son feel better. It’s amazing.” [...]
“It’s tough to come in here and be with the families when their child is in pain, but it’s also good to see them smile and have a sense of enjoyment after the disaster yesterday,” Westbrook said.
Hit the jump for footage of the Thunder players visiting Grayson and other young patients at the hospital.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have assigned Lamb to their NBA Development League affiliate in Tulsa.
The Scoop:General manager Sam Presti says Lamb will be in uniform for the 66ers for their game Friday night against Rio Grande Valley. Lamb has appeared in eight games for Oklahoma City this season after being acquired as part of the preseason trade that sent James Harden to Houston. He has averaged 2.1 points in 4.3 minutes, usually playing at the end of games already decided.
A look around the league and the web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.
C : YouTube . Via the indispensable Ananth Pandian , here's Michael Jordan's old late-night show on Chicago's WLS, Channel Seven.
PF : Hardwood Paroxysm . Curtis Harris' must-read take on the Kings' potential sweetheart/civics-destroying deal with Virginia Beach.
SF : SLAM . Bits and pieces of Tzvi Twersky's SLAM Mag cover story on Dwyane Wade.
SG : Daily Thunder . Jeremy Lamb has been sent to the D-League, Royce Young has the reaction.
PG : NBA.com . John Schuhmann with, not a cliché, the pretenders and contenders in the NBA.
NBA DRAFT LOTTERY SIM
MADNESS!
