ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks have teamed up with Bert’s Big Adventure to create another magical moment for a young basketball fan. Eleven-year-old Raynel Granell-Lopez of Powder Springs, Georgia, was surprised by the NBA basketball team in mid-February with the opportunity to join them in an upcoming regular season game as their guest of honor, introducing him as the 6th man of the team’s starting lineup.
Raynel, who suffered from a brain injury after being diagnosed with bacterial meningitis when he was 4 years old, was chosen to be one of 13 children who took part in this year’s annual trip to Walt Disney World® as a part of Bert’s Big Adventure.