When the Pistons decided last winter to do something no professional sports franchise had ever tried – hold an in-game charitable telethon – they knew their partnership with the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Michigan would brighten the lives of dozens of critically ill children throughout the state.

But it was just a faceless, nameless concept back then. Bruce Tribble, more than anyone, gave it a face – a bubbly, smiling, generous face.

Amid the typical wishes requested among the 60 granted by the Pistons Cares Telethon held in March, raising $480,000, were Disney vacations and family cruises. Bruce’s was a little more humble: He wanted a new bicycle.

He got much more – and he gave much more, too.

The nature of Bruce’s wish struck Pistons and Make-a-Wish officials so profoundly that they decided to make Bruce’s school, Oakman Elementary/Orthopedic School in Detroit, the 19th in Michigan to be the recipient of a Reading and Learning Center.

The Oakman center, unveiled in April, included 1,000 new books, 11 new laptop computers with wireless Internet access, an interactive Smart Board and access to Accelerated Reader books and quizzes that provide on-line interactivity for students – not to mention new carpeting, fresh paint and a Pistons motif that draws students magnetically to a room that typically becomes the pulse of the school.

But on Monday it was time for Bruce to get his bike – and more.

Two of the team’s bright young stars, Rodney Stuckey and Amir Johnson, went to Bruce’s house, as did Make-a-Wish’s Michigan president, Susan Fenters-Lerch. With friends and family gathered in the back yard of Bruce’s family home, he came around the corner to see not only his customized new bicycle, but a specially designed play center that will allow him to do therapeutic exercises.

“Are you the real Rodney Stuckey?” Bruce asked, the cherubic grin that has become so familiar to his Pistons family lighting up his face. “You are the bestest player ever!”

The Disney vacations and family cruises provide memories the families of all those kids dealt fate’s bad hand cherish for a lifetime. At times of incredible stress, it’s something that lets the kids focus on something pleasant, to the point that doctors often find their spirits lifted irreversibly, helping their fight against whatever affliction confronts them.

But the legacy of Bruce’s wish will have ever greater reach, spilling over into his community and beyond. Bruce got his bike – and gave so much more.