Luka Doncic met a 9-year-old fan whose doctor said watching Mavs star helps his epilepsy

Luka Doncic made a young fan’s day while willing the Dallas Mavericks to another victory behind an incredible fourth-quarter performance Thursday night against the Brooklyn Nets.

As Doncic was going through his pregame routine in Dallas, assistant coach Darrell Armstrong noticed 9-year-old Brayden Whitley holding a sign that read “My doc said: Watching Luka helps my epilepsy! 9 months no seizures.” Armstrong pulled the boy out of the crowd and brought him over to Doncic, as Whitley started exclaiming: “I’m actually going to meet Luka?”

The two embraced on the court and took a photograph.

Saad Yousuf from The Athletic has more details on the meeting. Whitley battled illness his entire life before being diagnosed with epilepsy. He reportedly experienced 60-70 seizures during a five-month period between October 2018 and February 2019. Now he has been seizure free since last March while taking 15 different medications.

Whitley and his family live in Kansas but made the trip to Ft. Worth to visit family over the holidays. Doncic is his favorite NBA player, and he received a Mavericks jersey just before Christmas along with tickets to the game. The family showed up early with their sign, and saw the young boy’s dream come true when he got to meet Doncic.

It didn’t end there. Doncic also approached the family after the game, signed his shoes and gifted them to Whitley. Then he gave him a high-five on his way out:

This was the perfect cap to another great night for Doncic, who finished with 31 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists in the win. Doncic took over the game in crunch time, outscoring Brooklyn, 15-11, by himself over approximately the last seven minutes of the game.

After missing nearly two weeks with a sprained ankle, Doncic didn’t look fully back to his old self, but was still brilliant, especially to end the game. This performance was more proof that he’s developed into one of the best players in the world in his second NBA season at age 20.

Doncic: a great player and — by all accounts — a good person. This is why we love the game.