When New York Knicks captain Stephon Marbury learned about the plight of 17-year-old Sohaib Qureshi, whose skull was crushed by a falling tree limb as he played catch with his younger brother in Riverside Park last summer, Marbury knew he had to do something for one of his biggest fans.
"This is where I'm supposed to be," Marbury said as he paid a visit to Qureshi's hopsital room on Thursday. "And this is what I'm supposed to do."
Qureshi has been hospitalized since Aug. 30. After laying in a coma for 15 days, he can now breathe on his own and communicates by blinking his eyes.
Upon hearing that one of his favorite basketball players was going to visit him on Thursday, Qureshi could barely sleep the night before because he wanted to practice using his right hand to shake hands with Marbury when the Knicks star arrived.
Qureshi didn't have to worry about shaking hands, because upon entering his room on Thursday, Marbury went straight to Qureshi and gave him a huge hug. Even though the teen could not smile, it was clear that meeting one of his heroes meant the world to him.
"Coming here is something we are supposed to do," said Marbury. "To uplift a kid's spirits, and to allow him even the smallest amount of joy from what he's been going through with his injury, we are supposed to do things like this. It's always a blessing to be able to do something to give a kid like him some fulfillment."
After introducing himself to the Qureshi family and having pictures taken with them, Marbury reached into his bags and took out countless presents, including gifts from the Knicks and shoes from his own Starbury collection.
As Marbury autographed the three pairs of sneakers he had brought with him, Qureshi's brother and sister pointed out that young Sohaib was already wearing a pair of Starburys -- as was his father!
A talented young basketball player, Qureshi also coached younger children. When his family pointed out that his players had made a poster with pictures and messages, Marbury was truly touched to read the get-well wishes from children whom Qureshi had impacted over the past few years.
After autographing Sohaib's collection of hats, including his favorite white Knicks one, Marbury continued giving out gifts to the young man and his family, including Knicks towels, T-shirts, headbands, hats, and a Knicks duffel bag.
Marbury also gave Qureshi an Under Armour Knicks shirt for him to wear while he rehabs. And since Qureshi happens to be a championship chess player, Marbury gave him an assortment of board games, including a chess set.
As Marbury prepared to leave, he leaned back in toward Qureshi, gave him another huge hug and said a prayer. It turned into a truly magical moment when Qureshi did something that he had not been able to do since the injury – lifting his arms to give a peace sign. With his family ecstatic, Marbury mouthed the word "wow" as he gave a peace sign back to Qureshi and promised that he would be his guest at a Knicks game as soon as he recovers from his injuries.
http://www.nba.com/knicks/news/Marbury_Qureshi.html
