Thieves may have stolen a Chicago basketball team’s van but they did not steal their hope.
Team Dynasty uses the game of basketball to defeat the harsh realities of their lives.
“It’s a lot of gangs and drug activity so when they don’t have anything to do they're just out here in the street," coach Brent Johnson tells NBC 5.
Friday morning the team was dealt a tough loss when someone stole their van from the coach’s home on the 400 block of West 87th Street: A gray 2002 Town and Country with all of their equipment inside
"That van was like our backbone to the team," James Glover of Team Dynasty said. "Without it we cant travel, do anything play basketball."
The van was a Father’s Day present from the coach’s wife.
“I'm simply trying to give back to my community, I'm trying to build my community and to see something like that happen, you're not taking from me you’re taking from them," Johnson said.
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The couple would pay for Uber rides to transport players from neighborhoods across the city.
“What we want to show them is that even though something was taken from us that was for them," Mattie Johnson, Brent's wife, said. "We will continue to give to them, we will continue to do what we’re doing, that’s what important."
And following that example, this team has not given up.
"I'll use that as fuel to become a better player and better person in life,” one of the players said.
The team does have a championship game this weekend they plan to use Uber to get the players there and back home safely.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the team.
