Make-A-Wish in the Bay teams with Ronnie of 2K
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Isaiah's court at his home in Daly City, Calif. Photo: Courtesy 2K
A young boy from Daly City has his own custom Golden State Warriors basketball court thanks to Make-A-Wish in the Greater Bay Area and Ronnie 2K of 2K Games.
The big picture: Make-A-Wish in the Bay Area has seen a flurry of wishes surrounding basketball in recent years.
- The organization has repeatedly worked with the Golden State Warriors, including Steph Curry, according to Betsy Biern, CEO of Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area.
Driving the news: Isaiah, a 15-year-old boy from Daly City who lives with epilepsy and cerebral palsy, recently made a wish for his own backyard basketball court.
- Isaiah has struggled with anxiety about playing competitive sports, according to 2K.
- To fulfill the wish, 2K, Make-A-Wish, NRG Experiential and local contractors teamed up to build a custom Warriors-themed court at Isaiah's home.
- And since then, Isaiah has risen above his fear of playing, 2K said.
- "It's helped him be connected with his family, but make him feel really great," Biern said.
What we're watching: Children are making more wishes for YouTube and Twitch streamers in recent years, Biern said, especially as some youngsters can't go outside because of their illnesses or the COVID-19 pandemic.
- "I think particularly for a lot of these kids, that's how they've been relating," she said. "That's how they've been relating with one another."
- "A whole lot of it is magic, right?" Biern said.
Zoom out: Ronnie 2K, real name Ronnie Singh of Marin City, tells Axios he has fulfilled 60 wishes in combination with other athletes, but at least eight on his own.
- Singh told Axios that he once answered a wish for a boy, William Floyd, whose wish included pitching ideas for a future NBA 2K game.
- Years later, Floyd told Singh he was employed by Visual Concepts, which helps develop the 2K franchise, Singh said.
- "The concept of somebody asking for a gaming wish and like being involved in this industry totally blows my mind because of all the things that you can wish for and you really can wish for anything," Singh told Axios.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the first name of a Make-A-Wish recipient to William Floyd.