GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Things just keep getting better for a Gainesville police officer and the group of inner-city teens he befriended after a video of them playing basketball went viral.
When the Orlando Magic hit the court Sunday, the officer the kids were watching court side, and they were treated to a thrilling last-second Magic win.
"Somebody from the team calls me and they invite me and all you guys to a Magic game," said Officer Bobby White.
When he told the teens, they erupted in cheers.
Their story started when his squad car dashcam video went viral, getting more than 14 million views. White received a noise complaint on that day, but instead of picking up an arrest, he played a game of pickup with the teens.
It started the trend on Twitter "#HoopsNotCrime."
The exchange became so popular that it snowballed into a call from basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal, who asked to drop in for a quick round with White and the boys.
But the clincher was a phone call none of them expected from the Orlando Magic, inviting the whole group to a game.
Take a look below at some photos from Sunday.
None of the nine teens had ever been to a Magic game, but now they're all going VIP.
"We're actually going to get to go courtside while they're warming up," White told the boys. "And you guys will all be sitting together watching the game."
The Magic paid for a bus to pick up the group and their families. The bus drove from Gainesville and brought them to Orlando for Sunday's 1 p.m. game against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Magic gave White an award for 'how he has inspired so many people.'