INDIANAPOLIS — This NBA Finals run has been special for Pacers fans, either recreating memories from 25 years ago or creating new ones for those experiencing this for the first time.
At every home game, free shirts are given out, and merchandise has been flying off the shelves. For one local assistant principal, it was a donated Pacers jacket that changed his life. He's hoping this run will also be an opportunity to give back.
"I remember the coat. It's something that I've held close to in my heart," said Bryan Ramirez.
Pacers fan Bryan Ramirez will never forget this Indiana Pacers puffer coat.
"It was more than a coat for me. It was a new love for Indiana basketball, a new love for the Pacers. Something I look forward to every year, and it was just safety," said Ramirez.
He moved to the United States when he was a child. He shared a mattress with his mother and sister at their apartment on 42nd and Post Road.
"I was just trying to figure out what was going on in my life. I didn't understand English. I didn't know anybody and times were different," he said.
He found more than just warmth in his jacket. He found comfort and even named it "Dexter's Lab."
"I didn't feel like I fit in, and this was just my safe space," he said.
He also felt part of the excitement surrounding the Indiana Pacers and Reggie Miller.
25 years later, the team is back in the Finals, and for much has changed for Ramirez.
"25 years later, I'm an educator. I have two kids. I have a wife. I have a wonderful family that we all get together every Sunday. We all get together and watch Pacers games, Colts games, and I'm in the community. I'm an assistant principal and I'm here for all our families," he said.
He wants others to think about donating used gear, coats or clothes.
"Donations are down a little bit," said Peter Zubler, Executive Director of Mission 27.
WRTV visited Mission 27 on Shelby Street.
Zubler encourages folks to donate coats, blankets or knick-knacks because you never know the value it has for someone else.
"There's so much of a gap between the haves and have-nots. It's hard to measure the impact of a donation. Sometimes, it's years later. Sometimes it's immediate, but for folks when they're on the streets in the summer or the winter and don't have shoes or a winter coat for a child, it makes a massive impact," said Zubler.
More information on how to support Mission 27 with donations can be found HERE.
