John Wall Broke Down During Post-Game Interview

Washington Wizards guard John Wall broke down in tears following the 133-132 double overtime win against the Boston Celtics. The usual stoic Wall dedicated the game to a recently departed friend, 6-year-old Miyah Telemaque-Nelson: who passed away from Burkitts Lymphoma Monday morning.

Wall met Miyah way back in March and instantly took a liking to her: creating a social media campaign to help the child meet her idol Nicki Minaj. A request that was granted by Minaj’s manager and organized by Washington Wizards officials through Wall’s request.

According to CSN Washington, the young star has been writing the little girl’s name on his sneakers all season: and “had kept in touch with her as recently as two weeks ago when he did a FaceTime call.” After getting the call Monday morning, informing the athlete of Miyah’s passing, the star instantly dedicated the game to her: even writing “RIP Miyah” on his sneakers and having a moment of silence before the start of last night’s game.

During the post game interview, Wall stated, “To see a little kid that fights so hard for cancer and can’t beat it — this game is for her. All my jersey, my shorts, I’m going to give it to her family.” By the end of the short interview, he was too emotional to speak, but later posted a fitting tribute to Miyah on his Twitter page.