Nine-year-old Aden Kneller became a New York Knicks fan while bedridden in the hospital. On Wednesday, Dec. 3, the cancer survivor’s dream that was years in the making became a reality when he met his favorite player, Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson, and watched his first-ever live NBA game.
Along with his courtside seat, Aden was able to sit on the Knicks bench during warmups. He also had his name announced to the New York crowd, was able to join the team’s huddle, be on the court for the singing of the National Anthem and be a part of the team’s press conference before the game. All of this was watched by Aden’s family, who were also provided a suite for the game.
“We had no idea what to expect. They made it so special for him.” Aden’s mother, Brooke Kneller, said.
Aden was in kindergarten when he began getting fevers and suffering leg pain in 2022. His family had him tested, and the results showed that he had B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
Kneller began treatment to rid his body of the cancer, a grueling process that would take over two years.
Throughout the whole experience, watching sports was one of the few things that gave Aden a sense of joy and something to look forward to, his mother said.
“He became a giant Knicks fan while he was in the hospital,” she said. “He kept on asking to go to a Knicks game.”
Aden’s mother said he had been taken to professional baseball and football games, but they were nervous to bring him to Madison Square Garden to watch a game while he was immunocompromised.
Brooke Kneller said that just as they thought everything was going smoothly, roughly a year and a half into treatment, Aden went into maintenance and began taking a pill to try to regulate his cell count, which ultimately led to his having liver failure.
“It set back his entire process,” Aden’s mother said.
Aden was transported via ambulance to a hospital in New York City, where he received emergency treatment and proceeded to spend the next 10 days in the intensive care unit recovering.
His mother said that for the remainder of Aden’s treatment, he struggled to find things he was looking forward to, besides wanting his treatment to be over. That day came in May 2024, when Aden had his final treatment.
“He was a rockstar the whole time,” she said. “He just pushed through it all.”
After Aden’s liver failure, his wish to go to a Knicks game was submitted to the Garden of Dreams Foundation, a partner of Make-A-Wish NY, and after Aden’s treatment came to an end, the planning began to make Aden an honorary Knick for a Night.
The Knicks beat the Charlotte Hornets 119-104 with Kneller in attendance. Brunson, Aden’s favorite player, scored 26 points in the victory.
Kneller said the Knicks game brought Aden’s sense of wonder back, something she said that is exciting to see in most kids and something that Aden had lost during his treatment process.
“The Garden of Dreams Foundation works year-round to help those in our local community and Garden of Dreams Week is an initiative that we look forward to each year,” said Garden of Dreams Foundation Board Member and former Knicks player John Starks. “Creating once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for young people, like Aden, who are facing a variety of challenges, is a priority for the foundation and part of what makes the week, and the foundation, so special.”
