Norman Powell (left) gave his game-worn Miami Heat jersey to St. Thomas, Ont. native Jackson Lale after their win over the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 1, 2026. (Source: Jackson Lale)
Jackson Lale never expected his trip to Little Caesars Arena to turn into a dream experience with his favourite NBA player Norman Powell.
The 22-year-old has what is widely considered the largest collection of Norman Powell sports cards in the world and has eight different jerseys from Powell’s four NBA teams as well as his NCAA jersey from UCLA.
Prior to the contest against the Detroit Pistons, Lale went down courtside in the stands hoping to grab an autograph from the Miami Heat shooting guard.
He and his dad tracked down the Heat social media team nearby and explained his fandom.
Before he knew it, he had a five-minute meeting with Powell courtside.
Norman Powell (left) signs his game-worn Miami Heat jersey for St. Thomas, Ont. native Jackson Lale after their win over the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 1, 2026. (Source: Jackson Lale)
He put on all eight of his jerseys and unveiled them one by one to the former Toronto Raptor.
He was even interviewed by the Heat and the post on their Instagram account went viral.
The video was picked up by the NBA official account with 90 million followers on Instagram, Bleacher Report, and the NBA on ESPN, among others.
It has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times across Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok.
Jackson Lale (left) of St. Thomas, Ont. shows off his Norman Powell sports card collection to Powell prior to the Miami Heat game against the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 1, 2026. (Source: Jackson Lale)
Lale got all his jerseys signed and during the meeting with Powell he offered his game worn jersey to him after the game.
Powell scored 36 points in the Heat’s win over the Pistons and after the game they met up where Lale received his jersey.
It was a whirlwind experience capped by Powell following Lale on his Norman Powell dedicated Instagram account.
Editorial note: Jackson Lale is the son of CTV News London reporter Brent Lale