This video and story should make your 4th of July a little bit better. The people in the video above are 5'7 D-League player Kiwi Gardner of the  Santa Cruz Warriors and Warriors assistant GM Kirk Lacob.  Lacob is breaking the  news to the D-League 7th round pick that he made the cut to be on the Golden State Warrior's Summer League Team.  Kiwi tackles him with a hug that should make even the toughest guy behind a keyboard smile.

WHO IS KIWI GARDNER

Kiwi Gardner was a YouTube sensation in high school with his most popular videos racking up millions of views, but the super quick guard hit a speed bump during his time with Providence and Midland College where he struggled to find playing time.  During the summer between the college stops, he did remind fans of how electrifying his game was when he averaged 40 points a game and won MVP of the San Fran Pro-Am.

After 2 years of college, Kiwi made himself eligible for the 2013 NBA draft but went undrafted.  Luckily, he was drafted by the Warriors' D-League affiliate and although he only averaged 7 points and 3 assists per game, he again showed flashes of brilliance that made the league take notice.

Last December, with the Warriors down by 17 with less than 9 minutes remaining, Kiwi scored a ridiculous 23 points, on 9 of 10 shooting, in the 4th quarter to lead the Warriors to a big comeback victory.  On another night, Kiwi put up 16 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals in just 21 minutes. 

It's only a matter of time until the whole basketball community knows who this walking inspiration is but just ask anybody from Cali about him and they will have stories for days and last week he added a few during his Drew League Debut. 

 

 

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that this crossover king's story has an upcoming chapter in the NBA.