Dmitri Moore couldn’t believe his eyes.
Lying in his Primary Children’s Hospital bed in Salt Lake City, a familiar pair of Nike shoes appeared on his television screen.
He had seen these Kobe 8 Venice Beaches before. Just a few days earlier, while lying in the same bed, the 14-year-old from Bountiful had held them in his hands, but now they were courtside at a BYU basketball game being played miles away.The shoes belonged to Cougars guard Jared McGregor, who was wearing them with pride after having had them autographed earlier that week.The autograph had come from Dmitri.
McGregor had paid Dmitri a surprise visit during a break from his chemotherapy treatments, spending an evening with the Moore family and declining to leave until “D-money” signed a pair of his game shoes.
For the young BYU fan Dmitri, hanging out with one of his Cougar heroes — and scribbling a “D$” on the outsole of his sneaker — wasn’t just a cool surprise. It was a distraction from his painful, frightening reality, a newfound source of light at a time when he really needed some.
“For that day, I felt normal,” Dmitri told the Deseret News of McGregor’s visit. “It was just so good to see him. I felt so blessed.”
“That was really special,” Dmitri’s mother, Leslie Moore, tearfully said. “That was a huge surprise for D that Jared pulled out his shoes and said, ‘Now you sign them.’Dmitri isn’t the only one with a story like this.
Amid the excitement of BYU’s past campaign where the Cougars reached the Sweet 16, McGregor made an effort to visit ailing individuals the night before almost every game, both at home and on the road. He did this largely on his own and without many of his teammates and coaches knowing, solely wanting to do something he felt was right.
“I just don’t want to leave here feeling like I didn’t make a difference,” McGregor told the Deseret News. “Being able to (make visits) before every game, being able to touch someone was super meaningful for me.
“… I’ve been really fortunate in my life, I’ve been blessed with great health and amazing opportunities. I feel like because I’ve been blessed and have had these opportunities, I want to do good in return for those around me and try to make people happy.”
A standout hooper at Westlake High — he averaged 15.5 points per game as a senior and hit 178 career 3-pointers — McGregor always dreamed of playing college ball for the Cougars but didn’t generate much recruiting buzz.
