National Sportsmanship Award winner inspires LeBron

'Tis better to give than to receive. This has long been an underlying theme of the holiday season and generosity overall. Giving is better than receiving? Really? How is this nonsense supposed to work?

To the immature person, namely me as a child, it did not. The concept of giving somehow being an improvement over receiving seemed foolish. I wasn't a greedy kid. It just felt as if someone was trying to pull a fast one on me.

I was born at night, but not last night.

Such is the mind of the immature person. Sure, it's better to receive money or stuff than to give it away. If I have $100 and give you all of it, then that's not better for me. If I gave you my new pair of Nike LeBron 10s, then I would be barefoot.

What about love, though? What about respect, compassion, courtesy and concern for our fellow man? If we give those away, are they really gone? You see, giving away things or money is linear. When you give them, don't expect them to come back.

Giving the others, however, is cyclical. The more love, compassion and courtesy you give - the more you get back. Rashawn King, now a freshman at North Carolina Central University, understands this. King was diagnosed with leukemia while a student at Middle Creek (Apex, N.C.) High School.

King played basketball and football at Middle Creek and decided to complete his senior season on the gridiron as he underwent intense chemotherapy. His story of determination caught the attention of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to kids facing life-threatening illnesses. Many young people choose to meet their favorite celebrity and King originally wanted to meet LeBron James. No one would have blamed King if he had taken his wish and gone about his business.

After all, King was fighting for his life. Spending a few hours with his favorite athlete would be a welcomed respite from what he was up against. On the other hand, King began having second thoughts. Yes, he was fighting for his life, but he wasn't fighting alone.

His classmates at Middle Creek had rallied around him. Cards, letters and stuffed animals filled his hospital room. They started a "Pray for Ray" campaign which included fundraisers that helped pay King's medical bills. Teachers and staff had to tell students to stay away from the hospital during his treatment as the facility was overwhelmed by visitors.

Meeting LeBron would have been awesome, but King's heart was with Middle Creek. So, King contacted Make-A-Wish and asked them if he could change his wish. Instead of meeting LeBron James, King asked to buy lunch for the 1,900 faculty, students and staff at Middle Creek.

Chick-fil-A was the restaurant of choice. Before you laugh, understand a few things. First, Chick-fil-A is huge in the South - nearing iconic status. Second, Chick-fil-A is probably a tastier alternative to just about any high school lunch menu.

And one more item to consider - Chick-fil-A isn't the cheapest fast food around. Depending on what the exact meal was, you and I would pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $15,000 if we had to buy lunch for 1,900 of our closest friends.

Rashawn King was an honoree at the 2012 National Sportsmanship Awards held in St. Louis last month. His selflessness in the face of life-threatening adversity was worth national recognition. Earlier this fall, King got the opportunity to meet LeBron anyway when the Miami Heat played the Charlotte Bobcats.

In an interesting turn of events, LeBron told King how he's an inspiration to him. Wait a minute. Wasn't this supposed to be the other way around? Not really when you think about it. LeBron, like all of us, has to find perspective from something other than his bank account or the car he drives.

Unselfish behavior makes you a winner in sports and in life.

ABC ran a feature on King and LeBron during halftime of the Christmas Day game between the Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Links to the ABC story as well as the National Sportsmanship Awards segment featuring Rashawn King are provided below.

Remember the first line of this article? 'Tis better to give than to receive. Rashawn King is living proof of that now. His classmates and community gave him immeasurable support. He gave them his wish. His gift also provided inspiration for LeBron James who, in turn, gave King the time he always wanted.

On top of all this, King received an even greater gift. His leukemia is in remission.

Happy Holidays to you and yours from the St. Louis Sports Commission!

2012 National Sportsmanship Awards: Rashawn King

ABC Christmas Day halftime feature