Oklahoma’s Khadeem Lattin plays with heavy heart

As Oklahoma was making its way to the Final Four in Khadeem Lattin’s hometown, he found out his grandmother had died.

Brenda Fair died on Wednesday night after battling cancer.

“No matter what was going on, she would have a Christmas gift for my sister and I,” said Lattin, who remembered the year he received a walkie-talkie.

Lattin was already going to be center of attention for a Sooners team that’s making its first Final Four appearance since 2002. His grandfather is David “Big Daddy” Lattin, who played for Texas Western 50 years ago, the team with an all-black starting lineup to win the NCAA title. His mother is Monica Lamb-Powell, who won two WNBA championships for the Houston Comets.

Khadeem Lattin said he hasn’t decided if he’ll pay tribute to his grandmother during the game, but he knows she’ll be watching.

“She’s going to watch me play in spirit, and I’ll make her proud,” Lattin said.

This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 7:19 PM with the headline "Oklahoma’s Khadeem Lattin plays with heavy heart."