Lucie Lejeune is the happiest girl in the world.
I know this because I tried to speak with Lucie for about 10 minutes Thursday night following the Bulls 126-108 Paris victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Thirteen-year-old Lucie was crying as she struggled up the stairs from the basketball court, her head buried in her other’s check, giant sobs again and again raining down, unable to gather control.
I thought I knew why, but I figured I’d better ask.
After all, she still could be unable to get over Marine Le Pen’s election loss.
“She’s happy,” said her father, Pierre Yves. “Happy about Zach.”
There was a lot special about the Bulls trip to Paris and the game, like the guest appearances and introductions of former Bulls Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, B.J. Armstrong and Thabo Sefolosha. International model and singer Naomi Campbell was there wearing a Bulls jacket. Music titan Pharrell Williams, who attended Northwestern U., was watching along with Magic Johnson. It was game as spectacle, and Paris knows how to do spectacle.
But my highlight was Lucie, clutching the sneakers Zach LaVine handed her as he came off the court after leading the Bulls with 30 points.
LaVine was exultant about the game and the trip.
“Being out here has has been great, the whole experience,” said LaVine. “My family has been here; we’ve been doing things, the culture, the fans, the environment was electric and, obviously, capping it off with a win was great. We played the right way, little sluggish in the beginning, but it was good.”
So as LaVine kind of pranced down the runway off the court, he stopped to give away his arm bands and then removed his shoes and handed them to the little brown haired girl wearing the red Jumpman jacket with a No. 8 for LaVine.
“Only time we might be able to play in Paris, give some stuff away and show appreciation to the fans,” LaVine explained later. “Saw a little girl wearing a No. 8 Chicago jersey, so I gave her the shoes. Already gave away my arm bands.”
Lucie initially gazed at Zach, and then the shoes she was clutching in both delight and disbelief. How was this possible!
She then turned with her 10-year-old sister, Louise, and ran back to where her mother and father were waiting for them a few rows back.
And she just could not stop crying, attempting to catch her breath, overwhelmed not only that her hero Zach LaVine looked and spoke to her, but he actually gave her the special blue gym shoes he was wearing for his first game in Paris after what perhaps is an historic Bulls victory for the rare regular season game in Europe.
Lucy is a basketball player, Pierre Yves said, and this was such a special time for the family to drive to Paris for the game from southwest Belgium where they live.
And then not only to see Zach star in the game, but to receive a gift that she will treasure and talk about for the rest of her life.
What a night it was, for the Bulls, and especially for Lucie Lejeune.
You never forget Paris. And this time Zach LaVine, as well.
Got a question for Sam?
Submit your question to Sam at asksam@bulls.com
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or its Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Bulls and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.