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An 18-year-old Nets fan who goes by the name Fahad Saleem was in a class at the City College of Technology in downtown Brooklyn Wednesday morning when his twin sister called. Their house in Sheepshead Bay was on fire ... and his room was gone.
“I was in school,” Fahad told NetsDaily Friday. “I honestly thought it was a joke until my neighbors started to send me pictures. I left school and went from downtown Brooklyn to my house...
“And I ran in and tried to look for anything I could recover.”
The only piece of clothing that survived: his No. 11 Kyrie Irving jersey ... which Fahad hung on his fire-scarred bedroom wall in an act of defiance. His two Spencer Dinwiddie jerseys, one No. 8, the other No. 26, apparently gone. He still has his picture of him and Kevin Durant at Barclays Center on his phone.
Thursday night, he tweeted out a picture of the jersey —and the damage to his house. Luckily, no one was hurt.
The only thing that survived my house fire @BrooklynNets @KyrieIrving
— Fahad (@FahadSuave) March 6, 2020
Lost both of my #8 signed and #26 @SDinwiddie_25 jersey burned in the fire @BrooklynBrigade @KDTrey5 pic.twitter.com/Cfsfo5tg36
“It’s a crazy story. I’m a big Nets fan and it’s crazy that only my Kyrie jersey survived,” Fahad added. “I lost everything, from socks to my bed.”
Now living temporarily in a hotel, Fahad says he hasn’t given up on his Dinwiddie jerseys.
“I’m still trying to find both Spencer Dinwiddie jerseys, the signed No. 8 and the No. 26, which I can’t find ... It’s hurting me.”
Dinwiddie himself responded.
Jerseys are replaceable. You are not.
— Spencer Dinwiddie (@SDinwiddie_25) March 6, 2020
Why does he think the Irving jersey survived?
“Through all the adversity he faced this season, he still remained strong and on top,” Fahad explained. “just like what the jersey represents. After the fire, it was the only thing that stayed strong and survived.“
By Friday morning, the Nets reached out to Fahad as well.
We’re one Nets family. When something like this happens to one of our fans, we feel it too. We’ll be in touch about how we can help. https://t.co/nOPWael2b2
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 6, 2020
As did the Brooklyn Brigade...
Our hearts go out to you and your family and we pray no one was hurt ❤️ Please DM us if there’s anything we can do to help you and your family.
— The Brooklyn Brigade (@BrooklynBrigade) March 6, 2020
Fahad will be attempting to restore his wardrobe in the next few days, including his Nets gear. That, he said, will go a long way to taking his and his family’s mind off what they’ve lost. He joked that the memory of Caris LeVert’s 51-point game is already helping in that department.
And, he added that he hopes to wear that Kyrie jersey to a Nets game soon.