Every once in a while, a sports story comes along that's so inspiring — so improbable and such an incredible testament to the potential of human will — that whatever game the main character plays ceases to matter at all.
Jorge Gutierrez has one of those stories. And it just began a magical new chapter.
See also: A YouTube Legend Battles for His Basketball Future
The 25-year-old grew up Chihuahua, Mexico, where he fell in love with basketball as a teenager. Frustrated by a lack of hoops opportunity there, Gutierrez sneaked across the border illegally to attend high school and play ball at Denver's Lincoln High.
Just 16, Gutierrez lived in an apartment with three other undocumented Mexican teens who had their own hoop dreams. Overcoming poverty and frequent hunger pains, Gutierrez excelled in Denver, but few colleges were interested.
After a post-grad year of prep school, the guard accepted a scholarship offer from the University of California, Berkeley — but only after another young player had reneged on his commitment to the school to free up the spot.
Gutierrez initially made his name in Berkeley as a reserve of limited talent, but one whose passion knew no bounds and whose kamikaze hustle plays could single-handedly change the course of a game. Over four years there, Gutierrez built himself into a star, winning 2012 Pac-12 Player of the Year honors as a senior.
When he went un-drafted by the NBA and decided to play minor league basketball, most Cal fans figured that was the end of the Jorge story: A nice college player with an inspiring story who would go on to do himself proud somewhere other than basketball.
Then, on Thursday, the NBA's Brooklyn Nets signed Gutierrez to a 10-day contract.

Jorge Gutierrez of the Brooklyn Nets slaps hands with coach Jason Kidd during the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013, in New York.
Image: Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
That contract is the ultimate reason Gutierrez endured the hunger pains in his stomach to prove his talent on the court stateside as a lonely teenager. The deal could be renewed, or he could be back in the minor leagues in two weeks — but no matter what happens, Gutierrez's new contract is a stunning turn to one of the more unbelievable stories the basketball world has seen in years.
"I'm big on saying, 'I don't need easy, I need possible,'" Gutierrez told the Associated Press in 2011, while still at Cal.

Jorge Gutierrez of Mexico applies his trademark vicious defense on Canada's Cory Joseph during an international basketball game in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 5, 2013.
Image: Juan Carlos Solorzano/Associated Press
The Nets signed Gutierrez after he averaged 13.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.2 steals for the Canton Charge of the NBA Developmental League this season. He'll join an interesting roster in Brooklyn: he'll be coached by another Cal point guard, Jason Kidd, while playing alongside Jason Collins, who recently became the first openly gay male athlete to play a major American sport.
Grantland's Jordan Conn wrote one of the first articles on Gutierrez to gain national attention, for SI.com back in January of 2011. Check it out for yourself — the piece is well worth your time — but we've also picked out three nuggets, below, in light of Gutierrez's good news.
Gutierrez's decision to illegally enter the U.S. in pursuit of a basketball career was far from easy. "I wanted to play against the best," he told Conn. "Mexico's not exactly a basketball hotbed. I had to come here." But, Gutierrez added: "I wish I could have stayed in Mexico longer. I wish I could have been a kid longer. But I had to move on."
Struggling to live with other undocumented ball-playing teens, Gutierrez was under-nourished and developed an iron deficiency and anemia. In one summer-league game, Gutierrez's right (and favored shooting) hand "turned blue" and became virtually useless. He scored 18 points left-handed.
After finding success on the court, Gutierrez and his Mexican teammates at Lincoln were inundated with bigotry. A shock-jock blasted them on the air, opposing fans wore sombreros in the stands and epithets were hurled as they progressed toward a state championship. Amid it all Lincoln won Gutierrez's final game with the school, and Colorado's Class 4A state title.
"Honestly, you could look at them on the court and sense it," one of Gutierrez's high school assistant coaches told Conn of that game. "You could see they were the embodiment of the American dream."
An American dream that just came true in the biggest of ways.