Watch: Kentucky Police Surprise 11-Year-Old Boy With New Basketball Hoop

ASHLAND, KY — The heartwarming story of police officers in Kentucky who helped an 11-year-old boy get a new basketball hoop has gone viral on social media.

Kevin Williams, Richard Bohannon, and Demarius Gulley of the Ashland Police Department surprised TiShawn Parsely with a brand new basketball rim to replace his old handmade one.

TiShawn told 13 News that, with some help from his grandfather, he'd built a basketball hoop a few weeks ago using “a crate and old pieces of wood that we don’t use."

Officer Kevin Williams of the Ashland Police Department was making his rounds through the neighborhood when he noticed the makeshift hoop and took a photo, which he shared with his fellow officers via a group text.

The officers decided that TiShawn needed an upgrade — and decided to make it happen.

Officer Bohannon, a 13-year veteran of the Ashland Police Department, said that officers attempt to do things for local children that will help them view those who work in law enforcement in a positive light. The officers teamed up to get the rim for TiShawn, and surprised the boy with the gift in person as he got off the school bus. The new rim was donated by the Ashland Walmart.

“He got off the bus with a basketball in his hand dribbling, and he saw the goal, and [had a] bright smile in his face," Officer Bohannon, said. “He’s a talented athlete.”

TiShawn says that he looks forward to shooting hoops with the officers.

A Facebook post by the Ashland Police Department read: “We wanted to brag on our officers who helped a young man acquire a much needed upgrade today. While we appreciate the creativity, his basketball hoop was not adequate for his skills. A big thank you to Ashland Walmart, Bill Pinson and associates who donated the goal.#basketball #community #creativity #Walmart #futuretomcat.”

In West Virginia, another police officer has also made headlines due to the popularity of his pickup basketball games.

Leiandra Bledsoe was taking a walk when she saw Officer Ryan Moore of the Wheeling Police Department playing a game of pickup basketball with local children in uniform while on a break. She shot some video of the game and posted it to social media.

Moore said that he enjoys interacting with local children because he believes that he could have the opportunity to function as a role model or father figure — and to portray police officers in a positive light.

"So if we can come in and spend some time with them and show them, ‘Hey, this guy, I see him, he plays basketball with me, he does X, Y and Z with me, you know, they're good people’,” he told WTRF.

“Maybe when they're getting bullied or they're having some issues in their neighborhood, they'll come talk to us so we can solve those problems before they lead to bigger problems.”

Read more: WTRF, 13 News