It had to be an emotional day at New Palestine High School Sunday afternoon as hundreds filled the basketball gym to celebrate the life of Brody Stephens, who passed away at the young age of eight.
He fought leukemia time and time again, and ultimately it was a viral complication that cut his life short, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Brody was a kid who clearly loved basketball. He collected player cards and became the biggest Golden State Warriors fan. Earlier this year, Steph Curry and coach Steve Kerr visited Brody at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health, and then recently hosted him out to Oakland for a Warriors game — against the Utah Jazz.
Shortly after Brody passed away, Curry said that they were dedicating this postseason run to him.
One local professional athlete who took great interest in Stephens is Pacers forward Glenn Robinson III. He, along with Colts tight end Jack Doyle, among others, were asked to be pallbearers on Sunday. Robinson III was honored to be selected and he paid his respects to Brody, and all that he represented, on Sunday.
Here’s a photo captured by Robert Scheer of the Indianapolis Star:
Robinson III was a pallbearer along with the Colts’ Jack Doyle, among others. [Robert Scheer/IndyStar]
“We just kind of connected,” Robinson III shared on the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast in December. “I told him what his story meant to me and how strong I thought he was, and how his story helped me.
“His dad tells me all the time that when (Brody) gets visitors — when I go in there to visit, or Steph visited the other day — he’ll talk about that for weeks. That’s the type of stuff that keeps him going. He’s always watching me play, or on Twitter or Instagram looking to see what we’re doing.”
Brody’s card collection included several of GRIII, who signed them all during his first visit. Robinson III had one of his jerseys delivered to the hospital, too, to be hung beside Curry’s.
Glenn Robinson’s game shoes with Brody’s handwriting.
One day at the hospital, Robinson III had Brody write his name on GRIII’s game shoes. Then Glenn wrote “We fight. #BrodyStrong.”
“He loves seeing that,” Robinson III said. “He feels like he’s a part of the team, like he’s a part of me and a part of the game. It’s cool. Little things like that he loves.”
Safe to say that Brody left a lasting impression on Robinson III, Doyle, and basketball fans in Indiana.
https://twitter.com/NickZKerr/status/858538443046920192
speechless pic.twitter.com/FpftSMf6Kg
— Glenn Robinson III (@GRIII) April 30, 2017