Dion Waiters honors slain brother Demetrius Pickney in heartrending letter
It shouldn't take such overwhelming tragedy to remind us that professional athletes are normal human beings. Unfortunately, that's too often the case.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters has drawn his share of criticism in his NBA career -- criticism that feels cruel and mean-spirited in the wake of the killing of Demetrius Pinckney.
Pinckney was -- and always will be -- Waiters' brother. That's how he's largely been identified in reports of his murder, including here at FOX Sports. But Waiters wants you to remember that Pinckney, like any one of us, was his own person. To friends, family and Waiters, he was much more than simply a famous person's sibling.
In a touching tribute to Pinckney on Monday, Waiters detailed how he learned of the killing, having to relay the information to his father, and how close Waiters himself came to being gunned down in Philadelphia growing up.
Via The Players' Tribune:
You should know the name Demetrius Pinckney. This is what I want you to remember about his life: We called him Zique. He loved to dance. He was always smiling and making the best out of life. I watched Zique grow up from being a goofy-ass little kid, always crying. He was the biggest mama’s boy in the neighborhood.
When I think about him, I just think about having fun. He was just a funny person to be around, but the one thing he loved was riding dirt bikes. That’s the thing for these kids now. It’s like the new rap music, especially in Philly. These kids love bikes. It’s a culture that a lot of people don’t know about.
When Pinckney was slain, Waiters shared photos of the two on his Instagram account and honored Pinckney's affinity for bikes:
Despite his grief, Waiters recently surprised Philly elementary school students and made a substantial donation to his former school: