Before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Marcus Smart’s agent, Jason Glushon, spotted Stepan Birmann’s sign and knew he had an opportunity to make Birmann’s day.
“I beat cancer!” the sign read. “Never give up!!”
Glushon called Smart over, and the Celtics guard gave the Arlington resident Birmann a pair of signed shoes, chatted for several minutes, and posed for photos. The following day, Smart – who lost his mother, Camellia, to cancer in 2018 – tweeted a photo from the interaction and made it clear the admiration is mutual.
“Stepan Birmann is 12 years old and cancer free and that, everyone, is more important than anything else in the world!