College Basketball

Chris Paul hosts ill son of Iowa hoops coach McCaffery

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:27 p.m. ET

foxsports

It's no secret Chris Paul is a classy guy -- on and off the court.

From his charity bowling, golf and poker events, to surprising elementary kids with Christmas gifts, Paul is all about good deeds, and on Monday, he was at it again.

Patrick McCaffery, a CP3 fan who is the 14-year-old son of Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffery, had a malignant tumor on his thyroid removed two weeks ago. When Paul got wind, he not only offered his support via Twitter, he also called Patrick before and after the surgery to ease the seventh grader's fears.

"Chris first got on the phone with him and talked about that, 'It's okay to be scared,'" Fran told Clippers.com. "They really bonded and he said, 'I'm going to call you back after the surgery.' And he did, which really meant a lot to [Patrick]."

Plz keep my buddy Pat McCaffery in ur prayers 2nite as he undergo's surgery 2moro morning. I'm stronger today after talking to him! #TeamPat
— Chris Paul (@CP3) March 19, 2014

The McCaffery's originally planned to make the four-hour trek to watch Paul and the Clippers take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, but after a chat with Clippers coach Doc Rivers, Patrick was treated to an even bigger surprise.

"We told [Patrick] the only place he could get close was Minnesota, so come to the game and come to shootaround and we're going to put him around the team," Rivers said. "He was great. He was out there on the floor during our practice portion. So, that was great for him."

Check out photos of the McCaffery's at Clippers shootaround Monday in Minnesota
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McCaffery not only got to launch some three's on the court, he also got some quality time in with Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

"[Chris Paul's] interaction with Patrick has been so genuine," Fran said. "When he found out today that he was going to shootaround, he hasn't smiled like that in a month. I just can't thank Doc and Chris and the Clippers enough.

Only a seventh grader, Patrick has another surgery coming up, and the McCaffery's say he'll require another scan to determine whether or not radioactive iodine is necessary. The family is admittedly scared, but there's something to be said about having someone like Paul in your corner.

"When you have a son, that's a phone call that you never expect: malignant tumor. He's in seventh grade. You don't expect to get that phone call. When people respond with this type of kindness it means a lot. It means a lot to our family."