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5-year-old boy signs with Utah Jazz for day, plays in scrimmage

Posted at 2:57 PM, Oct 06, 2014
and last updated 2014-10-07 07:29:30-04

SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Jazz got a new player for a day; the franchise is signed a 5-year-old boy who played with the team during Monday night's scrimmage.

JP Gibson, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2012, signed the contract with Jazz President Randy Rigby at 5:30 p.m. then joined the team in uniform on the bench.

"JP loves most sports but basketball is definitely his favorite,” his mother, Megan Gibson, said. “When he was just over a year old, he would sit with my husband Josh watching games. He started insisting on shooting hoops for an hour each night before bedtime when he was just 15 months old. He knows he has to be six before he can play Junior Jazz and he reminds us all the time that he can't wait until he's six.”

The Utah Jazz teamed up with the "Anything Can Be" project to host the Gibson family Monday night.

The “Anything Can Be” project is a part of the Millie’s Princess Foundation, dedicated to providing financial support and hope to families affected by childhood cancer.