Luka Doncic makes Johnny Miller’s Make-A-Wish dream come true

It was less than two hours before the Mavericks were about to tip off their home opener against the Brooklyn Nets Friday, and the tears were streaming down Stacy Miller’s face. She was crying almost uncontrollably.

To Stacy’s left, and sitting in a wheelchair, was her son, Jonathan “Johnny” Miller, who was diagnosed with terminal Aveolor Rhabdomyosarcoma less than a year ago. The diagnosis led to Johnny becoming depressed, and he dropped out of school, thus preventing him from being around his friends and peers.

But life momentarily turned around for Johnny when he became a Make-A-Wish Foundation recipient. And his wish was to attend a Mavs’ game so he could meet and watch his favorite player – Mavs guard Luka Doncic.

All that happened Friday, and the moment completely overwhelmed Stacy.

“It’s amazing to see him so happy,” she told Mavs.com. “It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen him smile and be so happy.”

A 15-year old 10^th grader at Gateway Senior High School in Fort Myers, Fla., Johnny said he became a Doncic fan once he entered the NBA in 2018. He’s impressed with the way he can dominate a game.

“He’s just different, and he’s a really good player,” Johnny said. “I like that Euro step that he has, and that one-legged fadeaway.”

Upon meeting Doncic before Friday’s game, Johnny probably likes something else, too, about the Mavs’ generational player.

“Luka gave Johnny three pairs of Luka signature shoes, and Johnny was just so excited about that,” Anna Blackwell said. “His mom was breaking down crying to me, just because it was such a memorable event and it couldn’t have gone any better for him.

“He is a huge Mavs fan and really loves Luka, so he was just really excited to see it all for the first time. He went down to the court and all the players came and greeted him.”

Blackwell can sympathize with Johnny, because in 2017 she was a Make-A-Wish Foundation recipient, and the Mavs helped make her wish come true.

“I had a wish granted in 2017 to play horse with (Mavs forward) Dirk (Nowitzki), so I was familiar with the Mavs’ (Make A) Wish,” Blackwell said. “I was fully excited to go see the magic happen with Johnny, and when we got there his mom told me that it was his first ever pro game, so he didn’t know really what to expect.”

What Johnny got was Mavs players showering him with unconditional love, and Mavs chief executive officer Cynt Marshall stopping the players and making sure they greeted Johnny, took pictures with him and autographed a basketball that the Mavs presented him with.

“He is amazing and he is a magnet,” Marshall said. “It took me 30 minutes just to get off the court when I got here because all these people wanted to talk to him.

“I got a chance to talk to him and talk to his mom and understand their journey, and I’m just so happy that we get to be a part of their journey.”

Johnny’s journey began out of the blue and has been obviously painstaking.

“The night before Thanksgiving (last year) he came to me in the kitchen,” Stacy said. “He said, ‘Mom, my arm is real sore.’ So, I took him to the hospital in Fort Myers and they did a biopsy and came back and said that it’s Aveolor Rhabdomyosarcoma and it was — at that point — already at Stage 4.

“So, he started chemotherapy, and then we got linked up with a doctor at Johns Hopkins in St. Petersburg and we started a trial study. Then they did a biopsy on his femur and noticed (the cancer) had spread to his legs, both hips and several vertebrae in his back, so they dropped him from the study.”

Over the last few months, Johnny’s parents also divorced, which added to Johnny’s depression. But the family still is keeping hope alive.

“He does radiation just to minimize the pain, and he’s on a lot of pain medication,” Stacy said. “They basically gave us two to three months with him.

“But we’re trying to get him to Houston to MD Anderson (Cancer Center), and that’s our hope is to get him there.”

In the meantime, Blackwell, now an intern with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, was on the court with Johnny before Friday’s game to watch him make a shot. And Johnny, who was a star basketball player at his high school before he was stricken with this disease, wasn’t about to leave the court until he sank at least one shot.

“It was just a really cool moment because they asked him at first if he wanted to go try and shoot the basket,” Blackwell said. “At first his family members were all concerned just because he hadn’t shot many baskets in the wheelchair, but Johnny was so adamant. He said, ‘Yeah, of course I want to go down there.’

“I don’t get goosebumps often, but when he made that shot — after shot after shot of trying to shoot – he was so adamant on wanting to hit that goal on the court. It just meant a lot when he swished it.”

And as the ball nestled through the nets, the smile returned to Johnny’s face. It was as if being on the basketball court again – coupled with getting to meet his favorite player — was the perfect medicine at that precious time.

“He came all the way from Florida to be with us,” Marshall said. “We talked about kind of being chosen for a journey – a journey that you didn’t expect.

“So, what a blessing for us to be a part of his journey, to be able to love upon him and use basketball like we use it for the wonderful platform that it is.”

Johnny watches several Mavs’ games, but would like to get the NBA League Pass so he can watch all of their games. Meanwhile, he’s already formed his opinion on what the 2023-24 season will bring the Mavs.

“I think we’re going to do all right,” Johnny said. “I like the team’s atmosphere.”

Blackwell sat with Johnny and his family during the game against the Nets and could see the twinkle in his eyes when the Mavs were rallying to win, 125-120. And Johnny’s hero – Doncic – finished the game with a whopping 49 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and was a razor-sharp 9-of-14 from beyond the three-point arc.

“When the Mavs really made that comeback, Johnny was cheering them on and chanting the MVP chant for Luka and just going crazy,” Blackwell said. “It was just a great experience for him, and just to re-live that magic from my experience just meant the world to me.

“It meant a lot to be the Make-A-Wish escort, because the wish escort for me made a huge impact. So, I knew that I had that opportunity to do the same for Johnny, and I’m just so grateful.”

Marshall is also grateful that she and all the players who met Johnny were graced by his presence.

“We get to love people, and for (Johnny) to love us and to want to spend his time with us is special,” Marshall said. “It’s wonderful because they love Luka and now he’s also falling in love with these other players, so it’s just wonderful.

“It’s just absolutely wonderful to be a part of this. I love it.”

Johnny and Stacy Miller love it, too.

“His Make-A-Wish was obviously going to a Mavs’ game and to get to meet Luka and the guys, and it has turned out to be amazing,” Stacy said. “It’s unbelievable for me and my son. It’s been an amazing experience.”

X: @DwainPrice