It was a slam dunk of a surprise.
Norbertas Giga, a senior forward for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, was left speechless when his mother showed up at the team's hotel on Tuesday.
The 6-foot, 10-inch athlete has not seen her since he moved to the U.S. from Lithuania in 2013.
Ahead of the surprise, his coaches called him into a room at a hotel in Evansville, Ind., before the start of the 2018 Ohio Valley Championships, and sat him down.
"I'm tired of dealing with you myself," one of his coaches told him. "So... come on in here."
When Giga's mother walked into the room, he jumped to his feet, muttering, "No, no, no, no," before embracing her.
"I didn't expect that at all. It's just came out of nowhere," he said later. "I'm just speechless right now. I'm just happy for her to be here and happy for her to see me play."
A HUGE Thank You to everybody that was involved in this surprise for me. I can’t even explain how much it means and how this moment feels to me. THANK YOU! We are Gamecocks! https://t.co/wvCBb3neyZ
— Norbertas Giga (@norbertasgiga) February 28, 2018
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