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The Los Angeles Lakers and NBA Cares Participate in “Shoot for Hope”
When 16-year-old Garylee Zuniga came to Staples Center to watch his favorite team play, he didn’t know that he would leave with a new friend. Born with half a heart, Garylee has spent most of his childhood at the Ronald McDonald House in Tucson, Arizona, where he receives yearly checkups at the University Medical Center nearby. On this night, he had the opportunity to not only meet the entire Lakers team, but to meet with Ronny Turiaf as well.
Turiaf, who underwent surgery in July 2005 to repair an enlarged aortic root, spent some time with Garylee before the Lakers played the Orlando Magic on Friday, January 12th. The two shared their stories and Turiaf gave Garylee his phone number. “When you go through something like that, you’ve got to have somebody to talk to,” Turiaf said. “For me to help him out, to just relieve some pressure and some sadness out of him, was a definite pleasure for me.”
Garylee and his family met the entire Lakers team during a special tour of the Lakers locker room prior to the game. He also joined the Lakers High Five line and slapped the hands of the players as they ran onto the court for warm-up. Garylee then sat courtside for warm up before taking his seat for the game. After the Lakers defeated the Magic, Garylee visited one last time with Ronny, who gave him a t-shirt signed by the entire team.
This is the third straight year that the NBA and Southwest Airlines have teamed up through the Shoot for Hope program to give families who have stayed at Ronald McDonald Houses the opportunity to experience NBA games and meet their favorite players. Shoot for Hope is a part of NBA Cares, the league’s global community outreach initiative.
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