Who wore it better? LeBron James gives arm sleeve to 7-year-old Toronto fan
Ari Akintan-Carter wanted an autograph, but got something much better
A seven-year-old Toronto basketball fan had some luck up his sleeve on Friday night, after an encounter with sports legend LeBron James.
After scoring tickets to the Raptors vs. Cavaliers game. Ari Akintan-Carter hoped he could get an autograph with one of the players.
After the game, the seven-year-old rushed down to the dressing room entrance, his mother chasing behind him.
"I said, 'You don't have a pen, you don't have paper!' So I ran after him," said Jean Carter, who works for CBC.
When he got to the floor, Carter said all the players had gone into the change room — except for LeBron James, who was doing an interview.
"I shouted, 'Autograph for the kids?'" said his mother, Jean.
Without responding, or even turning to look at them, LeBron James took off his yellow arm sleeve and threw it directly at Akintan-Carter. It landed in his arms, Carter said, and everyone was stunned.
"I froze, he froze, the two other kids with him froze, the security guards froze," she said.
"It felt good," said Akintan-Carter, remembering the moment.
Not sure what it was
Akintan-Carter said that when James first threw the sweat-drenched sleeve at him, he wasn't sure what it was.
"I was thinking that it was a T-shirt. And then I saw what it was. Then I didn't know what it was called," he said.
"I asked the security guard and he said it was called an arm sleeve."
Realizing its significance, his mother grabbed the sleeve, shoved it in her purse and pulled Akintan-Carter out of the stadium.
Thanks so much <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames">@KingJames</a> for your arm sleeve. You made my son's night. Made last night's loss easier to swallow. <a href="https://t.co/AI9qoLRcZ1">pic.twitter.com/AI9qoLRcZ1</a>
—@JeanCarterCBC'Way too big for me'
On Saturday, Akintan-Carter got to wear the sleeve to his own basketball game — although the fit wasn't exactly perfect.
"It kept falling down. It was way too big for me," he said.
At the kids' basketball game, Carter said another parent was incredulous that he was actually wearing the sleeve.
"[He] said, do you think you should let him have it? You should be framing that? LeBron is one of the top five players of all time. Do you know how special that is?" she said.
"Obviously I do know how special that is. But I wanted him to enjoy it for one game and show him a bit."
Akintan-Carter said he'll be offering the sleeve up to a frame soon, but was glad he at least got to play one game sharing a bit of James's wardrobe.