Danny Bollinger/Dallas Mavericks
Ryan, 8 months old, grabs Dirk Nowitzki's finger at Children's Medical Center. "He's got a strong grip," Nowitzki said.
He arrives at Children’s Medical Center Dallas wearing a silly felt hat, like Santa’s, except this one is blue and sports a Mavericks logo.
He slipped into the hospital, as he’s done for a decade now, with a jolly disposition and enough Christmas presents to fill a large rolling bin.
He will introduce himself as a kind-of relative to many of the 19 all-too-young patients he will visit, individually, during the next four hours -- a famous, yet endearingly unpretentious one every kid wishes they could have.