The Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League are honouring Port Coquitlam-native Terry Fox during their Canada Day game.
The Bandits announced they are launching a special edition jersey featuring Fox’s image as well as images from his famous Marathon of Hope that will be worn during their July 1 game against the Niagara River Lions. Proceeds from the jersey will go to the Terry Fox Foundation in support of cancer research.
“Terry loved to compete in sports, and his favourite sport to play was basketball — he thought of himself as an average athlete and would often say he had to work harder than others to make the team,” Fred Fox, spokesperson for the family, said in a news release. “We are delighted to partner with the Vancouver Bandits on this special initiative and appreciate their support to help realize Terry’s dream of a world without cancer.”
The jerseys will feature the number four, which was worn by Fox when he played junior varsity basketball at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in 1977. Fox played wheelchair basketball alongside Rick Hansen, winning three national titles, after his leg amputation.
“Today, we continue to follow Terry’s lead by working together to achieve his dream of a world without cancer,” Bandits team president Dylan Kular wrote in a news release. “This jersey collaboration is a special tribute to the legacy of a remarkable hero that continues to inspire us daily.”
Fox passed away on June 28, 1981 following a four-year battle with osteosarcoma, a cancer of the bones.
