Something that fans are often guilty of is forgetting that NBA players are also human beings despite the celebrity and money they enjoy and that a lot of them have come from extremely tough backgrounds. It can be easy to write some of these players off, especially the ones that aren’t stars, but every once in a while, players like Bones Hyland of the Denver Nuggets prove that despite the hardship, any goal can be achieved.
When he was still in high school, Hyland’s home in Wilmington was engulfed in a horrible fire. The Nuggets star lost his grandmother and cousin in the tragedy and only managed to save himself by jumping out of a second-story window but the resulting tendon injury had doctors telling him that he would never play basketball again.
When the Nuggets took on the 76ers on Monday night though, Hyland played and did so in front of the firefighters and first responders who initially helped save him from the fire.
The firefighters and first responders that saved @BizzyBones11 and his brother’s life from a house fire in 2019 come out to support him in tonight’s game. They also came to present him with his own custom Wilmington Fire Department jacket.
Such a special moment. pic.twitter.com/LfWEGqgPAF
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 14, 2022
A lot of people from Wilmington, Delaware, his hometown, drove down to see Hyland in action against the Sixers, and when talking about the support he received from those people, especially the first responders, Hyland couldn’t stop himself from getting emotional at the pre-match press conference.
Hyland had a moment where he cried and asked the reporter to repeat the question but that was his only low on the night. He was crucial to helping the Nuggets win, hitting some big three-pointers in the 4th quarter and finishing the game with 21 points to his name.
The emotions are understandable, he’s just 21 years of age, after all. His story is inspiring for people of all ages that are suffering through something traumatic. Hyland is blossoming into a solid NBA player with the Nuggets and he’s one to watch for the future.
