Moody surprises young Warriors superfan paralyzed by stray bullet

OAKLAND — Warriors guard Moses Moody came to the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital on Thursday with a bag full of team gear. His mere presence was a gift to the boy in the wheelchair.

Asa is an 8-year-old from Oakland whose young life was forever changed on July 14, when he was struck in the back of the neck by a stray bullet. He was hit while riding in the backseat of a car driving down I-580 that was caught between two cars with people shooting at each other.

Asa is paralyzed from the neck down. He lives on a respirator and a feeding tube and requires round-the-clock nursing care, therapy and more surgeries to come.

Through it all, though, his family sees Asa’s passions glimmer at the surface.

“He’s not always that excited to get up in the wheelchair, which is new to him,” said Asa’s mom, Melissa Neuwelt. “But when he found out Moses Moody was coming he said, ‘Let’s do this.'”

Asa loves to read, play chess and requests to hear songs by his favorite band, Imagine Dragons. More than anything, though, he loves to watch the Golden State Warriors. So the Rabbi at their Temple Sinai synagogue in Oakland worked with Asa’s family to find a way to get in touch with the Warriors about setting up a visit.

Moody leapt at the opportunity to meet Asa. Entering his third year in the NBA, the 21-year-old had learned the influence he wields.

“You’re on TV and that TV does something to you and you become famous,” Moody said. “Your status grows and that all comes with what it does, but at the same time you can look at that and realize the effect you have on kids and people in general.

“The higher your status gets, the (more) you can do to make a bigger impact.”

With Asa’s grandparents, parents and little brother gathered around as Moody and Asa chatted. No cameras, no fuss. They talked about superheroes, movies, sports and Moody told him all about what it’s really like to play in the NBA. Moody pulled from his bag a bunch of goodies and a No. 4 Moody jersey.

Asa grinned.

For Moody, the tragedy hits home.

Seeing Asa reminds him of the day he learned that a friend had died by gunshot just a few days before high school graduation. Moody found out about his friend’s death through a flurry of Instagram posts.

Meeting Asa, Moody couldn’t help thinking about his little cousins in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas. They are around Asa’s age.

“Gun violence has touched me in so many different ways,” Moody said. “When that situation happens, two lives are lost. A lot of these situations happen where someone is in the wrong place, wrong time. There are also situations where people are always close to the fire and those are the people I worry about, too. You never know, on both sides of the spectrum, how that can impact you.”

Moody took pictures with Asa and left the goody bag with some bobbleheads and a Warriors blanket.

Asa’s family hopes one day he’ll be able to attend a game and watch Moody play.

“We’re so proud of Asa and how much he’s overcome in such a short amount of time,” his mom said. “He was injured by community violence and it’s really healing to have our community in various ways show up for him. It’s healing and it helps support his recovery.”