Kim Hughes was in trouble, more trouble than he ever envisioned.
While working as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers seven years ago, Hughes was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
(which may make him the only person named Kim to have ever had prostate worries.)
But then Hughes encountered yet another major obstacle.
"I contacted the Clippers about medical coverage and they said the surgery wouldn't be covered," Hughes said. "I said, ‘Are you kidding me?' And they said if they did it for one person, they'd have to do for everybody else."
If you're not familiar with the worst franchise in pro sports, the Clippers are owned by a low-rent Trump clone named Donald Sterling, who is just a really horrible person.
When Dunleavy learned the Clippers wouldn't cover the cost of Hughes' surgery, he mentioned it to his players.Did you hear that, "Christian" Right? Corey Magette gets the whole Jesus thing better than any of you.
Several of them, including now Milwaukee Bucks forward Corey Maggette, Chris Kaman, Elton Brand and Marko Jaric, were taken aback by the news and decided to offer their assistance.
"Kim was one of our coaches and he's a really good friend of mine, too," Maggette said. "He was in a situation where the Clippers' medical coverage wouldn't cover his surgery. I thought it was a great opportunity to help someone in need, to do something that Christ would do.
If Hughes had delayed the surgery, and if Maggette and his teammates hadn't provided the necessary financial assistance, Hughes doesn't know what would have occurred.
Well, actually, he does.
"Those guys saved my life," Hughes said. "They paid the whole medical bill. It was like $70,000 or more. It wasn't cheap.
See, the system works! If your employer can't or won't cover your medical expenses, all you have to do is make friends with a bunch of millionaires! It's so simple, and damned effective! Why would anyone want to reform the American healthvare system, the best system in the world!
