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LeBron James writes touching letter to teen fan with muscular dystrophy

Dan Devine
·Senior NBA writer
LeBron James extends his hand. (Gregory Shamus/NBAE via Getty Images)
LeBron James extends his hand. (Gregory Shamus/NBAE via Getty Images)

A few weeks back, Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel wrote about Emanuel Duncan, a 19-year-old student-coach at Indianapolis' Lawrence Central High School who has inspired his classmates, his fellow coaches, his team's players and his community with the positivity he's maintained while living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

“He’s a coach — he’s my coach," head coach Jed Richman told Doyel. "He has this great moxie about him, and he always knows the right thing to say. He’s in a guy’s ear after a tough play or a tough practice.”

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Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a degenerative disorder that breaks down muscles in the shoulders, upper arms, hips, pelvis and thighs, and that later affects the heart and respiratory muscles. While life expectancies have improved over the years, it's a terminal disease, and Duncan's in the business of doing everything he can with his life while he can, according to Doyel:

What does he want? I ask him for his bucket list. And this is what he says:

“My bucket list is to meet LeBron,” he tells me. “That’s the one thing I want to do. Meet LeBron James. That’s my role model. He inspires me to do everything. To be a good person, to put other people first, to live your life and do what makes you happy. If I meet LeBron James, that would make my day. I wouldn’t ask for anything.”

I tell Emanuel that LeBron is a great guy and would no doubt be honored to meet him. I tell him, let’s see if the Cleveland Cavaliers are coming to Bankers Life Fieldhouse this season to play the Pacers. Emanuel and I have talked several times, in person and on the phone, and now we’re on the phone and I’m telling him to wait as I look up the Pacers’ sched--

“They’re here Feb. 1,” he tells me.

How did you get that so fast?

“I’ve got the Cavaliers app on my phone.”

It's a tremendous piece, but you might've missed it in the deluge of stories leading up to the start of the NBA season. I did.

You know who didn't? LeBron James.

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The text of LeBron's letter:

Hey Emanuel,

I've heard some pretty amazing things about you, and from what I've heard, I can tell you are an unbelievable coach. I know you said that I'm your role model and that I inspire you, but I know that you give so many people inspiration, including me. You are living out what it means to be a role model, to be a good person, to put others first and live life to the fullest, doing what makes you happy. It is awesome that you are inspiring so many young kids and teaching them about the importance of living life to the fullest. You live this out each and every day. That is a reminder to me to continue doing that whether I'm on or off the court.

I wanted to send you a few things I thought you'd like to let you know I'm thinking about you. I know you are a fighter and you are very strong. And I hope you know that you are not going through this alone ... I know you have a whole team of people from everywhere supporting you. Not sure if you knew this, but I wear these things called I PROMISE bands every time I step on the court. They make me think of the PROMISES I have made to myself and others. Here's one for you and me to share as we work with kids ... I PROMISE TO NEVER GIVE UP.

Together we will change the world,

LeBron James

The contents of the "just to let you know I'm thinking about you" care package are pretty fantastic:

James spoke about reaching out to Duncan during the Cleveland Cavaliers' morning shootaround prior to their Friday night game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports:

Why James reached out to Emanuel: “It hit home. It was a situation I found out about. Obviously, I know there's a lot of kids and there's a lot people around the world who are in similar situations or situations of their own that's kind of tough or they’re trying to find a way out, whatever the case may be. I just thought this one was unique, and it means something to me. Just me being myself.”

What does it mean to James to give back: “I’m in a position that I owe with a lot of responsibility to give back to my fans and to be able to be a role model to them. It’s something I take very, very seriously.”

How James found out about Emanuel's story: “I’ve got a great team."

What a tremendous, open-hearted thing. Here's hoping that "great team" can get Duncan and James together at Bankers Life Fieldhouse when the Cavs next visit Paul George and the Pacers. Generally speaking, we're not eager to rush through the NBA season, but in this instance, Feb. 1 can't get here fast enough.

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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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