Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak attended his first NBA game as a teenager in Boston, going to see his beloved Los Angeles Lakers play their bitter rivals at the arena then known as the FleetCenter.
He and his brother, Khaldoon, then a student at Tufts University, reached their seats and found themselves next to an older couple.
"They must have been both over 80. And I looked at them, I said, 'Wow, it's amazing how these guys are just so in love with the sport,'" Mubarak said. "I gave a little smile and I expected a smile back.