While delivering a second personal art piece to Phil Knight in his office at the Nike World HQ in Beaverton, Oregon, he asked me if I’d be able to do a wedding portrait for LeBron and Savannah James as his wedding gift to them both.

Without even taking a second to pause, I said “YES, of course.”

Mr. Knight had the official wedding portrait shipped to my apartment in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I spent the next several months creating the 48x60in. piece during my nights and weekends point-by-point.

Once the artwork was completed, I had it shipped back out to the Nike HQ and flew out to meet it to present it alongside Mr. Knight to LeBron while he was on campus unveiling his latest signature shoe.

That was a once-in-a—lifetime, “pinch me” moment that I won’t ever forget (and may someday write about in greater detail).

Nearly a year later, I flew back to Oregon to deliver a family portrait painting to another Nike executive and LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers team just happened to be playing Portland. More “pinch me” moments happened sitting courtside alongside Lynn Merritt from Nike Basketball during the game and then going back in the tunnels with him afterwards to speak to LeBron.

When I asked what Savannah thought of the painting, he said proudly, “She loves it. It’s hanging in the entrance of our master bedroom.”