The man who became a hero after wrestling an AR-15 away from the gunman inside a Tennessee Waffle House got the chance to meet his idol: Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade.
James Shaw Jr. says the one thing he loves most, after his 4-year-old daughter, is basketball.
“I love the way he carries himself off the court,” said 29-year-old Shaw of his NBA hero on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
Shaw gained national attention after he grabbed the hot barrel of the assault weapon and snatched it away from the alleged gunman, Travis Reinking, after four people were fatally shot inside the bustling restaurant, likely preventing more deaths.
The gunman fled the scene, but Reinking was captured near his apartment after eluding authorities for more than a day. He was charged with four counts of criminal homicide.
Shaw has said he isn't a hero and raised money for families of the victims. But Wade told Shaw he's a role model for his own kids.
"I know you don't want to be called a hero but I look at you as an American hero," Wade said. "When I sit down with my kids and I sit down and talk to them about role models, who I want them to look up to, I tell them go look up James Shaw."
Local
Wade brought Shaw a $20,000 check as a gift, to go with the $225,000 raised largely in a crowdsourcing campaign DeGeneres presented him with.