The family of a 17-year-old San Antonio Spurs fan says the teen is “fighting for his life” after he suffered a fall while celebrating the team’s Thursday, May 28, Game 6 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jose Luis Rodriguez III, who goes by Joey, was sitting on the passenger-side window of a truck when the vehicle hit a curb and he fell, causing his head to strike the pavement, according to the San Antonio Express News.
Rodriguez was taken to a local emergency room where he had no pulse for eight minutes, his aunt, Yvonne Hudson, told the Express News. He was then transferred to a trauma center and has since been declared braindead, according to KSAT.
“He left blood all over the street,” Hudson said.
“I believe in God and I believe in miracles,” his grandmother, who was not named, told KSAT. “I’m trying to hold on for my son, my daughter-in-law and the rest of the family.”
She also told KSAT that his organs are functioning and the family is holding out hope for a recovery.
Hudson, however, told the Express News that Rodriguez is not expected to survive. She added that her nephew first asked his parents to take part in the postgame celebration after the Spurs forced a decisive Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, and they said no. Hudson said that Rodriguez then told his parents that they would have parental supervision before going to the celebration with only his friends.
Spurs fans have participated in their well-known honking celebrations since 1999, when they won their first NBA title under former coach Gregg Popovich. During the celebrations, fans often ride on top of vehicles or hang out the windows while they gather in downtown San Antonio to revel in the Spurs’ victories.
Two nights after Rodriguez’s injury, the Spurs beat the Thunder in Game 7 to return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. After the game, Spurs rookie Dylan Harper urged fans to celebrate safely.
“I love y’all. Be safe out there in San Antonio,” he said in his postgame press conference. “We are not done yet. I understand y’all are excited but you got to be safe out there. We love y’all. We shout y’all all the time. Y’all travel for us, y’all do everything. But please be safe tonight. We still have a lot more basketball to play, so be safe.”
The Spurs will again face the Knicks in the NBA Finals beginning Wednesday, June 3.
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