NBA Draft Prospects Shared Sweet Moment With Young Fan While Traveling to Event

Who's cutting onions?
A young kid makes a heart with his hands that's directed toward NBA draft prospects on June 25, 2025.
A young kid makes a heart with his hands that's directed toward NBA draft prospects on June 25, 2025. / NBA Future Starts Now / X/ Screenshot

Does anyone have any tissues handy?

While en route to the NBA draft on Wednesday evening, a group of prospects traveling by bus shared such a sweet moment with a young fan who walked past them on the streets of New York—and the video is enough to make any sentimental sports lover tear up.

The fan, who looked to be wearing a basketball jersey and was accompanied by a friend holding a ball, quickly realized who exactly was on the bus—and what they were going to do. As such, he very excitedly began to wave, even throwing up a heart with his hands.

The prospects on the bus seemed to love the attention, with likely top-10 pick Ace Bailey noting, "Lil' bro gon' be next up. He's gonna be in the same position, I'm calling it."

Watch that heartwarming moment below:

It's a great reminder that inside every NBA prospect and every NBA champion is just a little kid who loved to hoop. God, who's cutting onions in here?!

The draft officially begins at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday night.


More NBA Draft on Sports Illustrated

feed


Published
Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.