Ish Smith helps make 9-year-old’s dream come true

Detroit Pistons guard Ish Smith got to return home to North Carolina to help make a dream come true for a sick local kid, and it’s a story that gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling.

The kids dream? To play football with Russell Wilson at the Seahawk’s home stadium. So, yeah, no Ish Smith mentioned, but the kid and Smith have a local connection and he loves playing basketball.

The child, Jack Smith, suffers from diabetes as well as a hypersensitivity to insulin. This means his body treats the thing that keeps him alive as a sickness or a cancer and it makes him extremely sick.

Doctors are mystified, but Jack soldiers on.

So Dream 3, an organization that brings kids’ dreams to life sponsored a Dream Day for Jack and Ish Smith got to take part in making Jack’s dream come true.

Ish, who, like Jack, went to school in the area, gave Jack a Pistons shirt, a jersey on the way and played a little basketball with him, too.

“This is huge,” Ish Smith said, according to the Independent Tribune, “It is truly a pleasure to be here. I’m actually in awe that he even wanted to meet me.

“He inspires me more than anything to keep pushing and pressing. Why am I complaining about missing a shot when somebody is fighting for their life?” Ish Smith said. “It’s truly an honor to be here.”

Jack will go on to Seattle where he will attend Seahawks’ training camp, spend time with the players and coaches and go to the preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs.

“He works hard. He’s a smart guy. He has lots of friends and a great sense of humor,” said Holly Mabe, one of Jack’s teachers. “He is just one of those kids that all the other kids are drawn to.”