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Bills' Damar Hamlin Nails Anklebreaking Three to Win His Celebrity Basketball Game
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is a beloved figure in at least three cities. He is beloved in Buffalo, where he has played his entire three-year NFL career, and he is beloved in Cincinnati, which helped nurse him back to health after his terrifying cardiac arrest against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023.
However, Pittsburgh knew him first. He was born in nearby McKees Rocks, played his high school football at Pittsburgh Central Catholic and played collegiately for Pittsburgh.
On Saturday, hosting a celebrity basketball game to benefit his Chasing M's Foundation, Hamlin delivered his hometown a moment to remember. With time running out, he nailed a vicious stepback three-pointer to win the game 120-117 for his Blue team.
WOW..
— George Michalowski (@MichalowskiCBB) June 9, 2024
Damar Hamlin just hit a game-winning, ankle-breaking three at his celebrity game.. pic.twitter.com/POSRMuTm55
Participants in Hamlin's game included retired Panthers football legend Aaron Donald, ex-Pittsburgh basketball All-American DeJuan Blair, and a slew of other Pittsburgh- and Bills-adjacent figures.
In a game also featuring a professional in Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson, it was Hamlin who made the biggest play,
PATRICK ANDRES
Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .