{"id":688014,"date":"2026-03-30T13:59:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T13:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/688014\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T13:59:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T13:59:12","slug":"a-battle-with-cancer-and-the-suns-game-of-a-lifetime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/688014\/","title":{"rendered":"A battle with cancer and the Suns game of a lifetime"},"content":{"rendered":"

On March 8th, the Phoenix Suns played the Charlotte Hornets. The Suns won 111-99 behind a combined 78 points from the backcourt trio of Devin Booker, Collin Gillespie, and Jalen Green. For most of us, this was a game like any other. We watched, we enjoyed, we went to bed happy that our Suns got another win. It was the second win in a row, and it came against a Charlotte team that is surprisingly hot this season.<\/p>\n

But in Phoenix at the Mortgage Matchup Center, in section 108, row 17, there was a special young man and his parents, for whom this game meant so much more.<\/p>\n

22-year old Tate Haddock comes from a long line of Suns fans. His mother, Pam, reminisces about the stories her father would tell about the first seasons of Suns\u2019 basketball. Tate himself started really paying attention to the Suns around a decade ago during Devin Booker\u2019s sophomore season.<\/p>\n

In August of 2024, the lives of the Haddock family would change forever. Tate was diagnosed with Leukemia. Doctors told him that if left untreated, he had six months left to live.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very rattling, more than anything,\u201d Tate said.<\/p>\n

However, it was neither the diagnosis nor the chemo that Tate said was the worst part of his battle with cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t talk about watching your loved ones struggle with it just as much, if not more than you do. It was a lot harder on the people that cared about me than it was myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ever since the diagnosis, Mike and Pam Haddock have been driving four and a half hours every week with their son to St. Louis for chemotherapy. Through it all, Tate and his parents remained strong and hopeful, with the help of their community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a great support system. My parents, my partner, grandparents. There are a lot of people taking good care of me. My partner stayed with me throughout my entire hospital stay. For better or worse, there were people that cared.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t just his family, either. His small town in Missouri held a golf benefit for him. Pam said, \u201cYou don\u2019t realize until you\u2019re in the middle of it and you find the kindness of strangers, how you really are supported and how much people are willing to care and support you if they know what you need and want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even through the last year and a half of treatment, the Haddock family has kept up with their Suns. Ask them about their favorite Suns players of all time, and you will see a trend. Pam immediately chimes in, \u201cI loved Charles Barkley\u2019s bad attitude!\u201d Tate will tell you, \u201cDillon Brooks, and we love Goodie!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PHOENIX,<\/a><\/p>\n

PHOENIX, AZ – NOVEMBER 01: Dionte Christmas #25 of the Phoenix Suns reacts after hitting a three point shot against the Utah Jazz during the second half of the NBA game at US Airways Center on November 1, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Jazz 87-84. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

The conversation about favorite players led us to his Instagram (@haddock_tate_haddock). \u201cIf I\u2019m really locking in, I like Dionte Christmas because one time he reposted my story on Instagram.\u201d Dionte Christmas played his sole 31 NBA games for the Suns in the 2013-2014 season.<\/p>\n

That Suns fandom was why, just a few days before Tate\u2019s birthday, the family piled into their car and roadtripped from Missouri to Phoenix to watch the Suns play the Hornets.<\/p>\n

But Pam had more in mind than just a good time at the arena. \u201cI tried everything to get him to be able to meet players. Emailing reporters, players. I\u2019ve got to figure this out!\u201d<\/p>\n

Eventually, she was able to get a hold of the Sun\u2019s Mercury Foundation. \u201cThey said they wanted to make it a night he wouldn\u2019t forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so it was that before the game, Tate Haddock could be seen, freshly in remission, walking through the players\u2019 tunnel to stand courtside for pregame shootaround.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know how special it was going to be. I was allowed to just walk up to Oso and talk to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to this incredible experience, the Suns gave him a bag full of merch. He even got his hat signed by Royce O\u2019Neale, Amir Coffey, Haywood Highsmith, and Oso Ighodaro.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was amazing,\u201d says Pam, \u201cFor them to recognize him and make him feel special and for them to treat our whole family like VIPs, it made me feel like I had accomplished something amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall, it was an incredible night for a young man with battles still ahead of him. Though in remission, Tate has to continue chemo until September 2027. He\u2019s happy that during this, the team is moving in a positive direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the best I\u2019ve felt about being a Suns fan since 2021,\u201d Tate said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love the culture and scrappiness,\u201d Pam continued.<\/p>\n

When Tate was asked about who his favorite young player on the roster was, he said, \u201cI love Rasheer Fleming.\u201d<\/p>\n

And why shouldn\u2019t he? Rasheer Fleming is turning himself into a scrappy player, much like his other favorite players Dillon Brooks and Jordan Goodwin. These players exemplify in their games what Tate has exemplified in his heart, a fighting spirit that doesn\u2019t give up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you are facing adversity, try to see the good in things. When it\u2019s hard to find the good, you\u2019ve got some options. You can create it for yourself or look harder. Eventually, you\u2019ll find it, no matter how hard it can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tate\u2019s story isn\u2019t just about one man\u2019s battle with cancer. It is a reminder of how much more we are capable of when we come together. It is a reminder of the power of a community working together toward a common goal, whether as a nation, a small town in Missouri, or the fans of a basketball team.<\/p>\n

The most important thing we can do is take care of one another. So tell the people you love that you love them, go out and get involved in your community, and cheer as hard as ever for the teams you love.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On March 8th, the Phoenix Suns played the Charlotte Hornets. The Suns won 111-99 behind a combined 78…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":688015,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3791],"tags":[7,6,2065,472,4045,604,40517],"class_list":{"0":"post-688014","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix-suns","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-phoenix","11":"tag-phoenix-suns","12":"tag-phoenixsuns","13":"tag-suns","14":"tag-suns-features"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116318489525687168","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=688014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/688015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=688014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=688014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=688014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}