It's never easy to have to ask for help, especially when it has to do with money. But after getting into a serious car accident and suffering numerous injuries -- the most significant being fractured C5 and C6 vertebra -- Denver Nuggets summer league member Josh Adams felt he didn't have a choice.
Kills me to ask for help. I've never been one to do so. And y'all have done enough for me. But anything will helphttps://t.co/0N3IedKgXf
— Joshua Adams (@JoshTAdams14) August 18, 2016
You might know Adams from his past four seasons as a guard with the Wyoming Cowboys, his time with the hometown Nuggets this summer, or because he'd signed to play next season for Avtodor in Russia. But for many of you, this might be the first time you're hearing of him.
The Casper Star-Tribune reported the accident occurred last weekend in the Denver area, according to the Wyoming athletics department. No drugs or alcohol were involved, UW said.
Adams' family reached out to the community through a Go Fund Me page to help raise money to help pay for multiple surgeries.
"After speaking with the emergency responders, and the neurosurgeon, we were informed how lucky we are to still have Josh with us today. As you can imagine, medical costs for this type of injury are substantial, so through the advice and support of dear friends we are utilizing gofundme to reach out to friends, fans, and supporters of Josh to help raise funds to offset the medical costs," the post says.
"We realize that Josh is not only part of our family, but he's also part of the Wyoming Cowboys family, The Chaparral HS Family, and so many others. As you know, Josh has always been one to give EVERYTHING he had to bring home a victory for his teammates, fans, and for the state, and now we are hoping that you can help support him in getting through this very tough time," the post continues.
The Go Fund Me page was opened Thursday with a goal to reach $30,000. Just one day later, the page surpassed that number by more than $15,000 and continues to keep growing.
Notable contributions have come from all over, some by name and others anonymously.
The Nuggets donated $5,000, writing, "Wishing a speedy recovery to an excellent player, and an even better guy. Denver Nuggets."
Los Angeles Lakers president Jeanie Buss donated $1,500, writing, "Josh: Best wishes for a speedy recovery. My dad graduated from Wyoming and we love your teammate Larry Nance Jr. too. Love, Jeanie."
Former Cleveland Cavaliers player Larry Nance and his wife donated $250. They are no strangers to medical ailments; their son, Lakers player Larry Nance Jr., suffers from Crohn's disease. Adams had earlier retweeted a story involving Nance Jr. on how he uses Crohn's treatment to educate and inspire others.
The list of donations goes on and on. Although unverified, more notable names that you might see include former Toronto Raptors player Reggie Slater, ESPN's Jay Bilas, Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Larry Shyatt (who was Adams' head coach at Wyoming) and his wife Jaynee, VCU assistant coach Wes Long, NBA agents Rade Filipovich and Bill Duffy, plus Utah State Aggies associate basketball coach Tarvish Felton. The largest donation was $10,000, from an anonymous source.
Adams was overwhelmed with the outpouring from fans, friends and strangers and expressed so through his Twitter account.
Thank you does not do justice to how grateful I am or how I feel about you amazing people. pic.twitter.com/JPQNi7cfQL
— Joshua Adams (@JoshTAdams14) August 19, 2016
Adams averaged 24.2 points and 1.2 steals per game last season for the Cowboys.
