Not too long ago, I wrote a very NSFW love letter to Kyle Korver. This was amidst his woeful shooting streak during the Bulls playoff run. I wanted him to know we still cared about him. That despite his uncharacteristically poor play, we did not forget his value. That we were there for him.
It probably also had something to do with the fact that I have a mild man-crush on the guy. Lame, I know. However, this was further entrenched after I found out that Kyle isn't just a smooth shooter with impeccable hair, but a helluva guy as well. Last summer, Kyle helped save the life of a snapping turtle run over on a highway in Pennsylvania. Last week it was released back into the wild.
The turtle tale began when [Pierre] Robert - who is approaching his 30th anniversary at the radio station - was driving along Route 23 and spotted something in the roadway. When he got close, Robert realized it was a turtle.
"Its shell was cracked, and I said, 'Oh my God, it's dead,' " Robert recounted. "Then its head moved in and out of the shell, and I saw bright-red blood coming out. It crushed me."
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Meanwhile, another car pulled over to help. It was Kyle Korver, an ex-76er who plays for the Chicago Bulls. Korver, a friend of Robert's who still spends time in the area, coincidentally was driving by.
"There was blood everywhere," Korver said in an interview. "I didn't think [the turtle] was going to make it.
Korver fetched a shopping bag from his SUV. Robert picked up the snapping turtle - a dangerous maneuver, Schubert later told him - and put it in the bag.
From there they drove the adorably named Thomas the turtle to Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education and the organization's Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic. Thomas made a full recovery.
Twitter @ZWMartin