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The initiative was why Kiepura was at Verizon Center with Krzysztof and her 7-year-old son, Gniewko, last week to watch the Wizards take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Gabriela Kiepura regularly hears about Gortat, the only Polish player in the NBA and just the third ever, from her 15-year-old son.

“He’s like a god in our country,” Kiepura said.

So while Kiepura is cognizant of Gortat’s basketball ability, his appeal, she emphasized, extends beyond the sport.

Her husband, Jan Kiepura, was a master corporal in the Polish army who died when he stepped on a mine in Afghanistan in June 2013.