In 2004 Los Angeles Clippers players chipped in to pay for prostate cancer surgery for their coach Kim Hughes after the Clippers insurance wouldn't cover it.

Teamwork make the dream work, and it just might save your life.

Former Los Angeles Clippers coach Kim Hughes is used to helping players, but it was players who stepped up for him in his time of need.

In September 2004, while he was a Clippers assistant, Hughes was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was premed at Wisconsin, so he had an idea what he was up against. His doctor told him that he could wait a few months for surgery, but the team was preparing for training camp and he didn’t want to miss a chunk of the season recuperating. So Hughes went for a second opinion and found a doctor who would do the surgery a week later.

“But he wasn’t covered under my insurance plan,” Hughes told ESPNLosAngeles.com. “We had a certain group of doctors we could go to. So if I elected to use him, it’d be out of my pocket.

“[The Clippers] didn’t talk to me directly about it. They told, I believe my agent, that the reason they couldn’t pay for the surgery is if they paid for mine, if anybody else had a problem — head coach, secretary, assistant coach — if they paid for mine, the onus would be on them for everybody else.

…Several players on that team — including Corey Maggette, Chris Kaman, Elton Brand and Marko Jaric — offered to help.

“Kim was one of our coaches and he’s a really good friend of mine, too,” Maggette said, according to the Journal Times of Racine, Wis. “He was in a situation where the Clippers’ medical coverage wouldn’t cover his surgery. I thought it was a great opportunity to help someone in need, to do something that Christ would do.

“It shows your humanity, that you care for other people and not just yourself. Kim was in a life-and-death situation.”

Hughes’ desire to get the surgery over with quickly proved to be a smart move. The cancer had progressed and was threatening other parts of his body.

It’s good to see the athletes that so many people think are rich, spoiled, arrogant, and selfish, do something good that will forever impact the lives of Kim Hughes and his family. We’re sure Jesus will pat you on the back and ruffle your hair when it’s time.

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