Kevin Ware won’t be signing up for another day like Sunday, when he became famous for horrifically painful reasons. But his broken leg has given him some experiences that he would have never had otherwise.
Want to talk to Kobe Bryant or Kevin Durant? How about a phone call from Charles Barkley? Need some advice from the first lady?
Ware has had a chance to talk with Bryant, Durant, Barkley and Michelle Obama since breaking his leg, the New York Post reports, and that has left the 20-year-old shaking his head.
“I had no idea I would get this kind of attention,” he said Wednesday. “I’m one of those guys who just likes to play basketball. But the injury opened up a lot of people’s eyes, and I really appreciate all the support. It really means a lot.”
Ware, who will be traveling with the rest of the Louisville Cardinals to the Final Four in Atlanta, is now among the best-known faces in the group.
“You’re the coolest guy I know in Louisville,” coach Rick Pitino said he told Ware. “The president is pretty cool, but Michelle Obama is the real thing.”
Ware said he’s trying to move past the injury already, focusing on his team’s yearlong objective.
“Our goals are still the same, my injury or not,” he said. “When we cut down the nets, that’s what’s going to be most important.”
The Cardinals already shared one such moment with Ware, sending their regional championship trophy to him after he had surgery.
“It brought tears to my eyes,” he said of being able to hold the trophy in his hospital bed. “It was one of the greatest moments of my life.”
It’s been a week of such great moments, with one more possibly right around the corner.
