T.J. McConnell's dad beamed with pride in heartwarming postgame appearance
T.J. McConnell's dad beamed with pride in heartwarming postgame appearance
Through six games of these NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers backup point guard T.J. McConnell has been a revelation.
Despite often being the oldest and smallest player on the court, McConnell has found a way to leave his imprint on every game. If he's not scoring with a patented short midrange jumper, he's stealing inbounds passes and diving on the floor to seemingly make so many critical hustle plays. Simply put, after a Game 6 blowout win, the Pacers would not be in position for their first NBA title in franchise history without McConnell's smart, hard-nosed play.
I don't think it's a stretch to say that the person most happy about McConnell's efforts is his father, T.J. McConnell Sr.
We saw this as much as the senior McConnell was invited onto the NBA TV postgame show while his son was being interviewed by the panel. McConnell's dad took this as an opportunity to do things like playfully criticize his son for missing some free throws in Game 6. But most importantly, he positively glowed about how proud he is of T.J. and his daughter Megan, who is a rookie with the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, for being basketball players at the highest level of the sport.
"I can't be more proud to say I have a son in the NBA, and I have a daughter in the WNBA," McConnell Sr. said. "This is a dream come true."
It's really hard not to smile at this sequence, watching a dad unapologetically beam with pride and joy for his children:
Man, no matter what happens in Sunday night's Game 7, it's these kinds of moments you'll always remember most. I challenge you to think of anything better in sports than seeing a proud, overjoyed parent act like this. Don't worry, I'll wait.
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