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ORLANDO – Draft night is one of the most memorable occasions in an NBA player’s career.
Most players vividly remember the location, the people around them, and their exact attire when they heard their name called on stage by the NBA Commissioner.
Orlando Magic All-Star forward Paolo Banchero, for example, rewatched his draft video nearly every day for months after being selected in 2022. He recalls “for the first 20 minutes, my heart was just beating out of my chest.”
Those memorable moments are set in motion by a phone call. For Banchero, his No. 1 overall selection will be forever linked to Magic Hall of Famer John Gabriel, who dialed in the pick that sent him to Orlando.
On Wednesday, another new and unique bond was formed. As the Magic were on the clock in the 2024 NBA Draft, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman turned to 17-year-old Logan Nieves to pick up the phone and help select the University of Colorado’s Tristan da Silva.
“It changes somebody's life,” said Nieves. “When I think about it, it's just something that I would never have imagined (would) happen to me in a million years. It really is awesome.”
It was a surreal series of events for Nieves, whose recent health scare sent him to AdventHealth. He woke up one morning just over one month ago with his eyes pointing in opposite directions. His father Ronald, who’s worked for AdventHealth in various roles for the past 25 years, immediately rushed him to the hospital. After a couple of days of difficult treatments, he’s once again feeling like his normal self.
The quality care Logan received at AdventHealth allowed him to return to normal activities and be able to attend a special experience offered by the Magic. On Wednesday night, the team treated him and his father with a surprise.
They were brought into the AdventHealth Training Center and taken on a behind-the-scenes tour that included a stop in the team’s locker room. There, he received a personalized jersey and draft hat that would prep him for the events ahead.
Logan and Ronald then took a seat in the facility’s dining hall, where they ate alongside members of the team’s staff.
And when the clock struck 10 p.m. ET, he was brought into the team’s draft room, where he phoned in the pick that became da Silva.
“To have a day like this, get to spend it with your father (is special),” said Logan. “We came here to an NBA facility and met people with the NBA. Just how neat is that experience as a whole? It's really humbling. I'm very grateful that I have this opportunity. I was also very intimidated when I first got the email because having this (experience and) exposure is just something I am all too unaccustomed with.”
