A teenager who thought his neighbours hated him dribbling his basketball up and down the street has received the perfect surprise. Hear more about the heartwarming story below:
Anthony Muobike, from Edmonton, Canada, loves basketball, and plays for hours a day practising his skills.
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But while the 14-year-old had feared that his constant dribbling may have annoyed his neighbours, the opposite was true.
Inspired by his skills, local residents clubbed together to raise some money so that they could buy Anthony a brand new basketball hoop.
Ian Ray, who has lived in the neighbourhood for over a decade, told Global Edmonton that he and others just wanted to show their support for such a talented lad.
"He was just a kid who dribbled a basketball - all day, all night," Ian said.
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"I kind of figured it would be cool if he had a net."
Ian and few other residents put up some cash, raising a colossal $750 for Anthony.
And when a regional branch of Canadian Tire got wind of it, the firm decided to pray for the hoop for the teen.
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The money raised has now been added to a gift card for Canadian retailer Sport Chek, so that Anthony can pick up some more gear to help his fledgling basketball career.
Ian added: "I didn't expect it to blow up like it did but the north side is a pretty strong community and everyone is willing to chip in when they have to. It was really nice."
And Anthony was over the moon, telling the local news channel that he just couldn't believe it.
He said: "I thought that whenever I dribble it made a racket and people want to sleep or something like that.
"I did not know that dribbling that ball, practising at least maybe two or four hours a day, would actually have an influence."
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He had no idea what his neighbours had planned until Ian surprised him with the new net and the gift card this week.
Anthony said: "Holy moly. I just see the net and it didn't even matter that it wasn't built yet, it was just in the box. I was like holy moly, that's crazy.
"It does touch my heart. It actually just makes me feel happy inside. It just makes my mind blow. Like wow."
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Anthony's mum Leticia, who only moved to the area with her son a year ago, said she couldn't believe it when she found out that her community had come together like this.
She said: "Wow. This is huge. I didn't see it coming. I didn't know I had such a great community that looks out for one another.
"I keep telling him, 'I'm going to get it next week, next month.' This is really huge for me and my family. I'm overwhelmed by the love."
Anthony is now fully focused on making it as a professional.
"I will succeed," he said.
"I will be in the NBA - [in] 2026, I'll be there and then try to give back to those people and I will make them all proud. I will be up on your TV."
Featured Image Credit: Global EdmontonTopics: Basketball, Inspirational, Feels, US News, Community, Canada