AT&T workers build real basketball court for little El Paso boy spotted with makeshift hoop
EL PASO, Texas -- A group of AT&T workers were so moved by a little El Paso boy's love for basketball that they decided to build him a basketball court after seeing the child create his own makeshift court out of plywood in his family's yard.
“He reminded me a lot of when I used to be a kid. It kind of shocked me because I did the same thing when I was little. I built my own basketball court,” Robert Vargas, an AT&T technician, said in a video released by the company that highlighted its workers' good deed. (You can watch it in the video player atop this article.)
The workers observed the 9-year-old boy playing basketball on a dirt court that he made by utilizing a piece of plywood to dribble on and an empty plastic paint bucket for a hoop.
The AT&T crew obtained company approval to purchase a real basketball hoop for the boy as well as pay for a concrete slab surface.
When they showed up to install the new basketball court, it was an emotional moment.
"The boy was so excited. He had a huge smile on his face. His eyes were lit up," said AT&T manager James Ryan.