Nuggets star Jamal Murray took to the hardwood Tuesday not as a player but as a coach. He surprised students at North Middle School for a unified basketball game against Aurora Hills Middle School.
Unified sports is a collaborative approach to create opportunities for students with and without disabilities to participate in school sports.
“It’s a lot of fun, obviously, anytime I get to play basketball and put smiles on kids’ faces,” Murray told CBS News Colorado’s Kelly Werthmann.
And perhaps no smile was bigger than the one stretched across Felipe Avalos’ face. The 8th grader at North cheered as Murray entered the gymnasium, but the crowd went wild when Felipe danced on the court.
“It’s a lot of fun and we have a great time together,” said Johnathan Avalos, who plays alongside his brother.
Felipe is a student with disabilities, yet Murray quickly noticed the 8th grader has incredible abilities on the court.
“Man, just give the ball to Felipe and get out of the way,” Murray said with a laugh.
In this game, it’s not about wins or losses. Student-athletes say it’s all about having fun.
“It also made me happy to see all the people enjoy it,” said Amy Bossy, an 8th student at North Middle School.
Aurora Public Schools won big, though, when UCHealth donated $5,000 to support all unified sports in the district. Murray kept the surprises coming when he matched the donation himself.
“I want to help as best I can and want to see what’s best for the kids and help inspire. That’s my main thing,” Murray explained. “Hopefully they see me do that and one day when they get older they’ll recognize the importance of it and do it as well.”
APS said the generous donation will be used to purchase equipment for all unified sports.
