Local teen meets his hero, sits courtside at NBA game after shot of a lifetime

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - A local high school student got to see his dreams come true.

Dale Wolfram is a sophomore at Evergreen High School where he’s the team manager for the boys basketball team. He’s on the autism spectrum and was able to suit up before a big game last month and take a shot and scored.

That was just the beginning of his hoop dreams.

Going to an NBA game is a dream for a lot of people and that dream became a reality for Dale. He didn’t just watch the Cavs take on the Brooklyn Nets, he was a ball boy before the game. But, the magic didn’t end there.

After he made headlines for his shot against Swanton, Dale told 13 Action News Reporter Lissa Guyton his favorite NBA team is the Cleveland Cavaliers and that Max Strus is his favorite player. When the Cavaliers heard the story, the team got the ball rolling and Dale got a personal invite to the game from Max Strus.

“I was 1000% excited,” said Dale

“Dale was speechless,” said Stacy Draper, Dale’s mom. “At first he covered his face, he got emotional.”

Fast forward to Sunday night, Dale had an incredible experience at the Cavs game. It started when he hit the court with the players for shoot around before the game.

Right before tipoff, he met Max, who wasn’t playing Sunday night, but took time out to chat with Dale and give him a jersey.

“It was the most amazing part ever of life,” said Dale. “It was crazy. Wild awesomeness.”

From there, Dale had a fantastic seat to watch his team in action. Dale’s mom said this was so much more than a game for her son.

“This is Dale’s dream,” said Draper. “People don’t understand how much this means to him. This made his life.”

One of Dale’s teachers also made the trip to Cleveland.

“It’s hard to put into words because I know what the Cavaliers and basketball mean to him,” said Jen Hoffman, Dale’s teacher. “We could not be more excited for him and proud of him. He is the perfect kid to deserve all this.”

Dale said this experience was better than a half court buzzer beater, something Max Strus did the same day we brought you Dale’s story for the first time.

“I am so grateful to everyone,” said Draper. “To Evergreen, to you, to the Cavaliers to make this dream come true for Dale. My heart is full.”

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