Utah Jazz guard JP Gibson
5-year-old, JP Gibson, shown here with Utah Jazz star, Derrick Favors, signed a one-day contract to play for the team on Monday Twitter @utahjazz

The Utah Jazz have a new teammate, and he’s five years old. That’s right, the Jazz, always one of the NBA’s classiest franchises (remember when they let Derek Fisher out of his contract because his daughter got cancer?), signed 5-year old J.P. Gibson to a one day contract.

J.P.’s story is quite touching. Since before he could walk, J.P loved the game of basketball. He asked his parents if he could shoot hoops every night before going to bed, and he told his parents that his favorite team is the Utah Jazz. As he grew older, he vowed he would play for them one day, but then J.P. was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a disease that kills a person’s white blood cells. He was given just over a 50% chance of survival, and it appeared his dream of playing in the NBA was over.

But thanks to photographer Jon Diaz’s “Anything Can Be” project, J.P. realized his dream, albeit 15 years earlier than anyone thought. J.P. signed a one day contract to play for the Jazz on Monday, and had a press conference with the team’s president, Randy Rigby, to sign his contract and receive his very own Utah Jazz jersey.

J.P. was joined at the press conference by his father Josh and his mother Megan, as well as his little sister, Elsie. Wearing #1, little J.P. was told to warm up as he was going to be playing in that night’s annual preseason intrasquad scrimmage at EnergySolutions Arena.

J.P. was going to play point guard and after a hard first half of sitting on the bench, J.P. was inserted into the game by Jazz head coach, Quin Snyder, with 30 seconds left to play in the third quarter. J.P. came in for Small Forward, Toure’ Murry, and quickly received the inbounds pass from Jeremy Evans. After some fancy dribbling to get by rookie Dante Exum and Steve Novak, J.P. drove to the hoop where he was met by Rudy Gobert who lifted J.P. up for the two handed slam.

“J.P. loves most sports, but basketball is definitely his favorite,” said his mother Megan Gibson. “When he was just over a year old he would sit with my husband, Josh, watching games. He started insisting on shooting hoops for an hour each night before bedtime when he was just 15 months old. He knows he has to be 6 before he can play Junior Jazz, and he reminds us all the time that he can’t wait until he’s 6.”

Watch the video of J.P. below and we challenge you not to reach for a tissue at this touch and inspirational moment.

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