Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler was a late scratch for Tuesday night's game against the Boston Celtics after he suffered a lower back injury during warmups. The news of the star not playing was especially disappointing for two young fans who traveled from Argentina to see their idol.
"Dear Jimmy: We flew over 4405 miles to see you play," read a sign that was shown on the television broadcast. "Can we get a photo or a big face coffee? ;)"
The fan holding the sign is 12-year-old Felipe, who was sitting next to his older sister, Zoe. A clip shows them talking to an usher before Felipe -- who was wearing a Butler jersey -- drops the sign as he finds out Butler is not playing.
The unfortunate revelation left the siblings upset, but only momentarily.
"I got you," Butler wrote on his Instagram story.
The two of them were invited down on the court and got a couple of gifts, including a signed jersey, a signed ball, a picture with point guard Gabe Vincent and some Big Face Coffee souvenirs.
"What a Surprise! thanks to you @JimmyButler man, we really don't (have) Words to describe what it meant to us," Zoe wrote on Twitter.
The young fans eventually got to meet Butler in person, and the four-time All-NBA selection gave them a true VIP experience.
The fans' visit to Miami was a memorable one, starting with the game: The Heat (27-22) pulled off a 98-95 victory against a strong Celtics (35-14) team after overcoming a 14-point deficit. It was an exciting ending as Bam Adebayo -- who had 30 points and 15 rebounds -- hit a game-winning shot for the Heat with 20.4 seconds remaining.