Debbie’s Recap of the Duffy’s Hope Celebrity BBall Event

Debbie in Virginia (@DebVAFOD) graciously tweeted her account of the event:

Strange event in that it could’ve been here in my town at the local high school. I had no clue who the other celebs were. David seemed so out of place & yet he lit up the place with that smile of his like he always does. Aside from his fans who traveled far & wide to see him, it seemed like most folks had no idea who he was.

Seemed weird to miss the opportunity for him to do what he does best in favor of putting him in a position to do something he said he’s never even done before – play in a basketball game! He was clearly uncomfortable, but ever gracious & such a good sport about it!

Watching him wander around on the court during the warm-up lay-up drill not having a clue what to do was funny & a tiny bit sad. Seeing his mom coaching him & the other players offering little bits of direction was sweet. So impressed that [he] got out there & tried! The guy can run the court like the wind but had no idea where to be or what to do when he’d get to the other end. Sad might not be the right word; can’t explain it. He really did seem to be having a good time.

As much as I wanted him to sing the NA, it was fun to watch him watch the young girl who sang (yeah, I know I was supposed to be looking at the flag, but DAVID was in the house). He’d smile when she would do a little run or hit a big note.

We were sitting on the opposite side of the court facing the bench where he sat (for most of the game)! A few of the fans sat on the other side behind the bench. Security allowed kids to approach him for autographs during the game when he wasn’t playing (which was most of the time).

At the break after the 1st quarter he & Lupe were escorted out & walked past us. He waved & said hi. They came back a few minutes later following a group of children, so I wondered if he met with them in the locker room or something.

He didn’t play at all in the 2nd half & at times reminded me of the little boy in the outfield of a baseball game looking at the clouds/searching for 4-leaf clovers. He was swinging his feet, cracking his knuckles, gazing around. Lupe sat next to him, chomping her gum, intently watching the game & occasionally leaning over to explain a play. Adorable!

One of the organizers approached us afterward to thank us for coming & ask if we had a good time. Very nice. We asked why he didn’t sing. She said, “his management wouldn’t let him.” Hmmm ….

He walked past us on his way back in from half-time & said hi & asked if we were having a good time so far!! So sweet!!

Then after the game he signed things for kids right behind the bench before coming over to speak to the group of fans there waiting for him. In typical David fashion, I think he would’ve stayed longer, but the BIG burly security guy hurried him away.

One more thought: David played some pretty tight defense, but I swear he looked like he wanted to apologize to the opponent after guarding him closely!!! LOL