Phoenix Suns surprise teen with tickets to game 3 of the playoffs

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A deserving teen who loves basketball got the surprise of a lifetime Friday with a personal invitation from the Suns to the playoff game.

Aidan Loncar is a 17-year-old who loves the game and plays basketball. “I’m pretty lucky! I had no clue this was going to happen, actually, to be honest with you,” he said the moment Arizona’s Family presented him with tickets and Suns swag.

Over the past few months, Loncar has been a part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

“Big Brothers Big Sisters is a mentoring organization. What we do is we pair kids who are in need of a mentor with adults who have time to spend with them,” said Laura Capello, the President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Aidan was matched with Pete Rivera, who is now his ‘big brother.’

“I’ve just seen him come out of his shell a little more the past couple weeks and be able to open up. That’s what it is, giving them an extra outlet to help them grow and develop and be an extra mentor,” said Rivera.

A couple of times a month, they go to a park in Chandler together and face off on the court.

“We met back in January and we’ve pretty much been hanging out every other week. Mostly we get together and play basketball,” Rivera said.

Aidan played varsity for his high school and after stopping to focus on his school work, he’s hoping to get back on the team. He says some of his biggest inspirations are players on the Phoenix Suns.

“Booker puts up a lot threes, makes them. I like that, that’s good in a game. Kevin Durant is really tall, so he can dunk really well and that’s good too, that’s a plus,” Aidan said.

He knows all about overcoming obstacles and challenges. “It’s not every day you get invited to a playoff game. They’re expensive,” said Aidan.

But on Friday, the price didn’t matter. He’s hoping to watch the Suns prevail from their own struggles and come back from their 2-0 run.

“I know he’ll be cheering loud for the suns today, so he’s going to love it,” said Rivera.

Aidan said he’d be sure to be loud at his first professional game. “Hoping we can get this win and if we do, we can keep pushing forward and keep going to the next round,” he said.

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