Wednesday night at Target Center, for the first time in six games, Thaddeus Young was in the Wolves lineup. Young is still getting over the death of his mother, Lula Hall, from breast cancer, a pain that isn't going away soon. But already he's trying to use the situation to help others.
On Tuesday, through the team, Young released a statement thanking all the people who reached out to him in the wake of his mom's death.
But then he went a step further. Young took the opportunity to push for routine breast exams, urging his fellow NBA players and fans to follow suit. "Please encourage the women in your lives — the mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, aunts and girlfriends — to get screened for breast cancer," he said.
Wednesday night Young and his teammates took the court wearing pink shoelaces, both to promote breast cancer awareness and honor Young's mother.
The idea was spearheaded by Wolves GM Milt Newton, who called the league offices to ask how the team might honor Hall.
"I just think something has to be done," Young said after the team's morning shootaround Wednesday morning. "A lot of people, they go through their lives without going to the doctor sometimes, without the proper procedures to get tested.''
Young's mother's cancer was not detected by a routine exam but only after she noticed a lump in her breast, resulting in a long-term struggle with the disease.
"I thank our GM for going out and calling the league to approve this," Young said of the pink shoelaces. "I thank the league for approving it for tonight's game."
