I love playing ball, but more than that I love the opportunities it provides to touch people's lives.

Throughout the course of the season, I come across many different kinds of people, but recently, one particular girl has stood out in my mind. Her name is Kelly. I met Kelly about five days ago, right before one of our games at Madison Square Garden.

This game day was no different from any other game day. I went through my usual daily routine. I went to practice, came home and slept for a little while, got up and got something to eat, and headed to the game. I put on my uniform, laced up my shoes and headed out to the court to get a couple hundred shots in before the game.

As I walked out of the tunnel to go shoot, a little girl asked me for an autograph. She was beaming a big smile my way, her hat hanging crooked off her head. A long ponytail hung out the back of her hat. I stopped and signed her piece of paper, asked how she was doing and took a quick picture with her. She didn't have a lot to say, she just smiled. I gave her a high-five and headed onto the floor. I noticed a lot of the players taking pictures, and spending a little extra time with the girl, who couldn't have weighed more than 45 or 50 pounds and was probably only about 8 or 9 years old.

About 10 minutes later, Spoon (Liberty teammate Teresa Weatherspoon) came over and told me that there was a little girl named Kelly over there and that I was her favorite player. She continued to tell me she had already given Kelly one of her shooting shirts, and then proceeded to tell me that Kelly has only about eight to 10 months left to live.

What? What do you mean she only has a little while to live, she seemed pretty healthy? My heart hit the floor. Kelly was born with HIV, and recently the doctors had found some sort of sickness in her brain.

My heart ached for this little girl. She had a smile brighter than New York City lights. I thought to myself, what could I possibly give this girl that would make any kind of difference for her in her life? I went to the ball rack and got a ball and had everyone sign it "To Kelly." When I went to give it to her, she was still smiling from ear to ear. As tears welled up in her father's eyes, he told me how this was a dream of hers to come and meet me and some of the other Liberty players. He told me how he was doing everything possible to make every one of her dreams come true.

I don't even remember what team we played against that night or how many points I scored. I bet Kelly doesn't either. What I do remember is her smile, her innocent demeanor, her long ponytail, and the way it made me feel to be a part of her life. Her dad thanked me over and over again, and told me this is a night he or Kelly would never forget, and I won't forget it either.

Kelly, thank you.

Becky Hammon, an all-state basketball player at Rapid City Stevens and an All-American at Colorado State, is in her third year of pro basketball as a member of the WNBA's New York Liberty.