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Baby shocks and delights crowd by taking magical first steps during WNBA halftime crawl

And the crowd goes wild!

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A baby takes their first steps. A basketball crowd goes wild.

It's a small step for a baby, but a GIANT step for mankind—at least on the Internet. Even though the Minnesota Lynx beat the living heck out of the Vegas Aces, it didn't sully the adorable halftime baby-race show. And now, basketball might never be the same.

From the WNBC Instagram page, they note "some wholesome content for your timeline."

The Las Vegas Aces baby crawl is already adorable enough as it is. But on this particular day, magic struck. What follows is definitely one for the baby's digital scrapbook. As the parents and friends lined up on opposite sides of the court to encourage their racing baby to crawl as fast as they could, one small infant clad in red leggings, a white top, and a pink bow pulled ahead from the jump. The chyron reads, "We immediately had a front runner."

And just like that, this quick lil tot, out of nowhere, just stood up and started walking instead. "But then," the screen reads. "She started taking her first EVER steps." The crowd understandably goes wild. She, perhaps feeling the exciting momentum of her many new fans, picks up the pace and runs right into the arms of the woman waiting for her. In a supportive (and non-competitive) move, the surrounding mothers, sisters, and friends applaud the baby and give the mom all kinds of smiles and love.

The clip then shows the baby's proud dad (clearly an Aces fan) carrying her in one hand, and her giant inflatable trophy in the other. "Talk to me, Dad," we hear. He responds, "She hadn't been walking. She just randomly decided to stand up in the middle of the thing!" He laughs with more pride as the person filming says, "Proud dad moment. Congratulations, champ!"

baby, nba, wnba, eating, kids Cute baby at basketball game. Giphy NBA

The comments are hilarious and joyous. A top commenter suggests that perhaps this is a sign of things to come. "Draft speech...My first steps were on a WNBA court. It was destined!" Another agrees, adding, "The fact that she walked the rest of the way, for her first time, in socks, on a basketball court… yea she a hooper in the making FASHO!!!! I would have been a bawling MESS LOL!!"

Reddit has already exploded. In the subreddit r/NBA, someone jokingly posts, "Baby blatantly cheats by taking her first ever steps to win the Las Vegas Aces baby crawl race."

This is followed by over a thousand comments in 24 hours. One shouts, "REF DO SOMETHING." Others continue with that joke. "This is why I quit baby crawl racing, too many sweats."

This Redditor takes it up a notch, by mock-alerting sports analyst Stephen A. Smith. "Steven A. Smith: Let me tell you something right now! I’m sick and tired of these so-called “experts” in the baby community trying to tell me that these little ones, these adorable, chubby-cheeked miracles, THEY’VE ALREADY BEEN ABLE TO WALK BEFORE WE SEE IT ON CAMERA? I mean, have you lost your mind!?

Listen, this baby is a personal friend of mine! I’ve watched this baby, folks! I’ve seen the struggle, the wobbly knees, the carpet burn, the sheer DETERMINATION! Don’t come in my face, on national television, and try to throw shade on this achievement. When a baby takes its first steps, THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT IT IS! THE. FIRST. STEPS."

baby, baby walking, first steps, trying, kids A baby makes a great attempt at walking. Giphy GIF by TLC

Despite all the funny memes and jokes, many seemed moved by this moment. "I was thinking how so many parents don’t get the chance to actually film the first walk and this being it is pretty momentous. Now imagine being the kid’s younger sibling and having to live up to this lol."

- Baby takes first steps during a basketball halftime show. www.youtube.com, The Today Show

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For 20 seconds, she lived a dancer's worst nightmare—which then became a dream come true

Utah Jazz dancer Danielle Bush got lost mid-performance and had to improvise until she realized what was really happening.

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Utah Jazz dancer Danielle Bush got the surprise of her life when her fellow dancers started doing a totally different routine.

It's a dancer's worst nightmare. You're in the middle of a performance you've rehearsed over and over when all of a sudden you forget what you're doing. Everyone else is in sync, and you're hopelessly out of step, trying desperately to not make it obvious that you're completely lost.

That's sort of what happened to Utah Jazz dancer Danielle Bush earlier this week during a basketball half-time performance. Bush didn't forget the routine, though—it just suddenly changed on her in the middle of it. The song, the routine, all of it. To her credit, Bush rallied, smiled and did her best to improvise, but it was clear she was lost. For a torturous 20 seconds, she tried to keep up—and then she figured out what was really going on.

What started out as a nightmare turned into a heartwarming surprise that the rest of her fellow dancers were in on.

Watch:

How can a video be so painful to watch and yet end up with such a happy ending? The poor girl was so confused until she actually heard what the song had been changed to—Bruno Mars' "Marry You"—and realized it had to have been changed for her.

According to KSL News, the proposal had been planned in secret since earlier in the month. Bush's boyfriend (now fiance) Brandon had asked Jazz Dancers director Ashley Kelson if it were possible to pop the question on the court.

"I wanted to make it big and special for her for sure," Kelson told the outlet. "Making it a part of the routine was so much fun."

Kelson scheduled Bush to be at a community event during a rehearsal where the other dancers learned the alternate routine. The team only had one practice to rehearse the proposal, and they pulled it off beautifully.

"It was an honor to plan with Brandon and be a part of their special moment and just proud of my team for keeping it a surprise," Kelson said. "It definitely was a team effort."

And it was definitely a proposal to remember. Congratulations, Danielle and Brandon!


This article originally appeared three years ago.

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Yale's pep band had to miss the NCAA tournament. University of Idaho said, 'We got you.'

In an act of true sportsmanship, the Vandal band learned Yale's fight song, wore their gear and cheered them on.

Courtesy of University of Idaho

The Idaho Vandals answered the call when Yale needed a pep band.

Yale University and the University of Idaho could not be more different. Ivy League vs. state school. East Coast vs. Pacific Northwest. City vs. farm town. But in the first two rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament, extenuating circumstances brought them together as one, with the Bulldogs and the Vandals becoming the "Vandogs" for a weekend.

When Yale made it to the March Madness tournament, members of the school's pep band had already committed to other travel plans during spring break. They couldn't gather enough members to make the trek across the country to Spokane, Washington, so the Yale Bulldogs were left without their fight song unless other arrangements could be made.

When University of Idaho athletic band director Spencer Martin got wind of the need less than a week before Yale's game against Auburn, he sent out a message to his band members asking if anyone would be interested in stepping in. The response was a wave of immediate yeses, so Martin got to work arranging instruments and the students dedicated themselves to learning Yale's fight song and other traditional Yale pep songs.

Idaho band members even reached out to Yale band members via social media to get tips and asked the spirit squad for suggestions for making their "Vandogs" performance the best it could be. Yale also sent spirit gear with the big yellow Y for Yale for them to wear.

University of Idaho band members filling in for Yale

The Idaho Vandals called themselves the "Vandogs" for two NCAA tournament games.

Courtesy of University of Idaho

“Everyone was really enthusiastic about covering for the Yale students who couldn’t make it,” Martin told the Yale Daily News. “Universities help universities, and bands help bands.”

That genuine act of sportsmanship and camaraderie touched people across the nation, much to the delight of the students.

“'Look Mom, I’m on ESPN,’” Martin told The Spokesman-Review, quoting his students. “You’re a farm kid in the middle of a farm town. How often do you get that? Never.”

And people loved seeing it as well.

"Kudos to the University of Idaho band! Band kids are the greatest!" wrote one commenter.

"Awesome job Idaho..this is a perfect example of true sportsmanship!!" shared another.

"This is such a great show of collegiate athletics and why they are important! Well done!👍" shared another.

It's hard not to catch the energy of the tournament, as the Vandogs found out.

"It was awesome watching them play," Idaho grad student Cody Barrick, who plays the tenor saxophone, told ESPN. "We were right on our feet with everyone else at the end there cheering them on for sure."

And as it turned out, the pep in Yale's step did seem to be extra "on" during that first game. The Bulldogs went into the tournament as an underdog, with #4 Auburn being their first competitor, but they pulled off a dramatic upset that moved them to the next round.

So not only did Idaho's band play for them that first Friday game, but they also drove the 90 miles to Spokane again the following Sunday night for Yale's second round game against San Diego State.

The Bulldogs were eliminated from the tournament in that game, but memories were made for life. And Martin says the Vandals would do it anytime, for any school, a testament to the program.

“If you choose the Vandal band, you know that it’s going to come through,” he told the Spokesman-Review. “It always has. That’s the tradition. There was no doubt that we would come through for them.”

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Unearthed '80s clip of Michael Jordan playing wheelchair basketball shows why he's the GOAT

Greatness is a choice.

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An unearthed video of Michael Jordan playing wheelchair basketball is going viral.

Michael Jordan was considered one of the most fierce and dedicated competitors in the history of sports. You may recognize the famous basketball player from nicknames such as “MJ,” “Air Jordan," “His Airness,” “The G.O.A.T” (Greatest of All Time) or even “Black Jesus.”

His win-at-all-costs attitude was unquestioned, and yet, in a recently unearthed video from the '80s, “His Airness” demonstrated a kinder side and a commitment to helping others through philanthropic endeavors. With 2.4 million views and counting, it's clear people love seeing Jordan redefine greatness once again.



The video shows a seemingly sweet game of wheelchair basketball starring 16-year-old Eric Barber in a one-on-one competition with the six-time world champion and 14-time All-Star Michael Jordan.

The spirited young Barber quickly takes it to an unsuspecting Jordan, accumulating a sizable lead. A cheeky Kareem Abdul-Jabbar style sky hook gives the 16-year-old an opportune 14-4 advantage. As the crowd’s applause elevates, a noticeably irritated Jordan—he doesn’t like to lose—starts dipping into his vast competitive experience to mount a comeback.

Just as the tide seems to turn through an impressive display of (seated) jumpers, bank shots and some signature intense defense, Barber finds his sweet spot burying a 15-footer to end an entertaining game. Big smiles can be found on all in attendance and even the great Michael Jordan himself. The fans on the scene were treated to a surprisingly intense and creative game.

According to the borgenproject.org, a humanitarian enterprise addressing areas of poverty and world hunger, an estimated 100 million people in the world need a wheelchair. More challenging, 75 million, that’s literally two-thirds, can not afford one. Philanthropic programs such as Wheelchair Foundation receive donations and put their efforts into action. Wheelchair Foundation has delivered or committed to distribute 1,157,425 wheelchairs to date.

When it comes to activities leading to inspirational action such as that witnessed in the heartwarming video featuring “MJ” and young Eric Barber, the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, founded in 1949, continues to host events and leagues across America throughout the year.

You can donate to the NWBA here.

Today, the multibillionaire Michael Jordan hasn’t lost his love and passion for helping others in need.

His charitable contributions of time and dollars continue year after year. In 2020, he made a pledge of $100 million dollars focusing on social justice, economic justice, and education and awareness. He intended to distribute those funds to organizations such as NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) and the Formerly Incarcerated & Convicted People and Families Movement (FICPFM).

It would appear that competitive spirit has found its way into this historic athlete’s generosity. However, if Jordan wishes to move up the list of accomplished major donors, he still has some considerable work ahead. When it comes to putting your money where your mouth is, Bill and Melinda Gates sit on top, having donated an incredible $15 billion dollars through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Some consolation to the former champion’s loss highlighted in the video that's making its way through social media: Eric Barber went on to represent four U.S Paralympic wheelchair basketball teams, taking home two bronze medals in the process. “The GOAT” never had a chance.

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