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A game of hoops with Houston Rockets forward Luis Scola has been the most rewarding part of Nicolas Tijerina’s recovery.

For the last two months, the 13-year-old Edinburg student has had to endure hours of intensive physical rehab in a Houston hospital.

But last Sunday, Nicolas' mother, Donna Tijerina says she got to watch her son just be a kid.

"What did it mean to you to see your son smile," Action 4's Ryan Wolf asked her?

 "It was a really great feeling," Donna said.  "It was a great feeling... I always see the down side to him when he's in pain or hurting... So to see him feel jazzed up over going to the game and getting out and about... And see him to do things he enjoys... It was great."

The Houston Rockets invited Nicolas to their game against the Utah Jazz.

Donna says it was her son's first real outing since a stray bullet hit him in December while at Harwell Middle School, leaving him paralyzed as a result.

Nicolas played wheelchair basketball with Rockets Forward Luis Scola before the game.

But that's not all.

"He got to see them warm up... practice... he went into the locker room... He got to meet each and every one of them," Donna said.

Nicolas has been learning basic functions from within a wheelchair.

He spends 4 hours a day in therapy.     

Mom is hopeful this once in a lifetime outing will prove how the sky's the limit with what her son will be able to do.