Midwest
Pizzaman who rescued 4 kids from house fire reacts to Donald Trump Jr's Medal of Freedom suggestion
Nick Bostic, a former pizza deliveryman whose daring rescue of four children from a house fire was captured on heart-pounding body-camera footage, told Fox News Digital that he was home with his girlfriend when he found out Donald Trump Jr. re-posted the more than two-year-old video this week.
The president-elect’s son argued that Bostic should have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom – not the likes of Hillary Clinton and George Soros, who President Biden presented the nation’s highest civilian honor to Sunday.
“This guy deserves the presidential medal of freedom… Not the clowns like Soros and the others who got it from Biden this week,” Trump Jr. wrote on X, sharing the July 11, 2022, footage showing a home in Lafayette, Indiana, completely engulfed in flames. Elon Musk responded to the re-post, with one word: “Yeah.”
As firefighters scrambled onto the scene, Bostic had already been inside the home and guided an 18-year-old woman with a baby and two 13-year-old girls to safety. He went back inside to rescue the remaining 6-year-old girl left behind, maneuvering through thick smoke and intense heat before he found the girl in a separate bedroom and scooped her up.
He punched through an upstairs window and jumped out headfirst, turning his body to try to land on his back and cushion the blow for the girl to land on his stomach, Bostic told Fox News Digital.
The video shows Bostic running toward a firefighter with the girl in his arms. He handed her off and then immediately collapsed onto the sidewalk.
OUTRAGE AS BIDEN SET TO AWARD HILLARY CLINTON, GEORGE SOROS WITH PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM
First responders told him he needed to move further away from the house, and he soon sprawled out on a nearby lawn. As medics worked on him, Bostic asked, “Is the baby, OK? Please tell me that baby’s OK.”
A police officer could be heard assuring him, “Yeah, yeah. You did good, dude!”
“You know, even though it was hard for me to breathe and stuff, it was so relaxing. And then, you know, knowing the girl was OK.… After the officer told me she was 100% fine, I just pretty much gave in right there to whatever was going to happen to me,” Bostic told Fox News Digital, recalling that moment. “You know, if I was not going to make it, so be it. But man, if I wasn’t going to make it, I was going to die happy, you know?”
In an interview with Fox News Digital on Monday, Bostic reacted to the newfound attention from President-elect Trump’s eldest son, as well as Elon Musk.
“I was at home when I got the message from somebody. That Donald J. Trump Jr. had retweeted, you know, that video of me and I thought it was the craziest thing ever,” Bostic said. “Me and my girlfriend looked it up and we both found the post and then she went into the comments…. Someone else had reached out to me about it and said Elon commented on it. And so she went. She’s like, ‘What? No way.’ We both were.”
A July 11, 2022, house fire in Lafayette, Indiana. (Lafayette Police Department)
“So she finds it first, he commented, ‘Yeah.’ So a gentleman like that, coming from him, that’s all that man needs to say. ‘Yeah,’ like, that’s probably a million words in one like that guy with what he does nowadays and what he’s doing for the planet,” Bostic added. “To even get a yeah from him. Absolutely amazing. And then to get recognition from the man, the man. You know what I mean? President Trump’s son. It’s crazy. It’s mind-blowing. It’s mind-boggling.”
Describing himself as a “die-hard Trump supporter,” Bostic said he was optimistic about the new administration. “Am I Team Trump? All the way, baby. I’m Team Trump,” he said.
“He is really, really familiar with having a bunch of zeros in his bank account. And right now, with the economy and how things are, we need somebody that’s going to be our leader. And that’s good with numbers like that, you know, and because we can’t afford to make errors and take chances on someone that’s still learning,” Bostic said. “We’re like Defcon four, you know what I mean? Like right now it’s like we’re in the red.”
“Everybody deserves a chance at living a good life,” Bostic added.
The night of the fire, Bostic told Fox News Digital, he had gotten into a “silly fight” with his girlfriend. Bostic said he was off duty but still wearing his pizza delivery shirt when he decided to go for a drive to clear his head. On his way back, he spotted the blaze. The fact he was there to help is something he attributed to divine intervention.
Nick Bostic hands a 6-year-old girl he rescued from a house fire off to a first responder before collapsing on the ground. (Lafayette Police Department)
BIDEN RIPPED FOR MEDAL OF FREEDOM CEREMONY: ‘WORTHLESS’
“I’m a firm believer in God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I feel like he put me there at the right place at the right time,” Bostic said. “My whole life I didn’t understand what my purpose was. I never fit in anywhere really.”
“I tried taking my life a few times. Eventually, after like the third time, I just laughed about it and said, ‘All right, God, you win. It ain’t my time,’” Bostic shared with Fox News Digital of his time after high school. “So I stopped hurting my body and that’s when I kind of, it kind of kicked in. Like, I think that was like God saying that I’ve got a bigger, greater purpose.”
Realizing that he had left his phone at home that night, and after attempting to flag down a passing car that didn’t stop, Bostic said he ran around the back of the house on fire and entered through an unlocked door. Fearing he could be shot if he was mistaken as an intruder, he shouted repeatedly that the house was on fire. He soon found the 18-year-old, the teen girls and the baby.
When Bostic turned around to rescue the 6-year-old girl, he recalled how the fire had already torn through the master bedroom and the hallway as he was met with “this incredible wall of black, gray, mucky smoke.”
“It’s just like putting your foot into an oven. So I take a step back up. I’m scared at that point, you know? And then I hear – I hear a cry, a scream, cry,” Bostic said. “I didn’t think or nothing, I just went in there. It was like just mentally throwing myself in front of the of the train, you know, and I doubled my shirt over my mouth for a filter. And I closed my eyes, and I followed her sounds and I picked her up in my arms.”
Bostic said he spent several days in the hospital, resulting in him losing his job as a pizza deliveryman due to missed time from work.
Medics work on Nick Bostic after he ran into a house fire in Lafayette, Indiana, to rescue a 6-year-old girl. (Lafayette Police Department)
Since then, the now 27-year-old said he’s worked as a security guard and as a mechanic. He also runs his own seasonal lawn care business – something he’s driven to make successful for his nearly 2-year-old son.
After his daring fire rescue in 2022, Bostic said the fire department personally handed him an application, but he’s hesitant to join, partly because he wants time with his young son.
As for Biden’s controversial picks to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Bostic offered them congratulations.
“I don’t have a perfect track history record or whatever either, you know?” Bostic said. “It’s not always about what you did in your past. It’s about what you do and make of your life in the future…. It is what it is…. I’m proud of them. Happy for them. And that’s pretty much it.”
He argued that 9/11 first responders and law enforcement, as well as members of the military, were more deserving of accolades.
“I’m just a common citizen,” Bostic said. “It’s not my place to judge something like that about myself. You know, and if people feel like I deserve it, I’m more than honored to take it… I’m speechless.”
With the renewed attention online, Bostic said he attempted a small fundraiser for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital on Instagram Live and wants to continue to pay it forward.
As a child, Bostic said a PVC pipe went through one of his eyes while playing with a friend, and St. Jude reconstructed that eye, which he kept but he cannot see out of.
“I feel like I’ve been blessed a million times over,” Bostic said. “This time I think it’s time to start giving back.”
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Illinois
Clippers pick Illinois All-American Keaton Wagler at No. 5 overall
The LA Clippers selected Illinois guard Keaton Wagler with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft on Tuesday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Wagler became the first Illini freshman to be named a consensus All-American after averaging 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 39.7% from 3-point range. He set numerous freshman program records, including points (663), field goals (202) and 3s (87).
The 6-foot-6 Wagler is the first player in franchise history to be taken with the fifth pick and the highest player drafted since Blake Griffin went No. 1 in 2009. He is Illinois’ third top-10 pick in the draft era (1966), joining Kendall Gill (1990, No. 5) and Deron Williams (2005, No. 3).
Wagler is highly touted because of his shooting, feel and ability to convert difficult finishes at the rim. He had a monumental rise up draft boards throughout the year after leading Illinois to its first Final Four appearance since 2005.
The 19-year-old was heavily linked to the Clippers throughout the predraft process after visiting only with them and the Chicago Bulls (No. 4). He eventually canceled his remaining workouts after those meetings, an indication that he felt he wouldn’t fall below the Clippers.
Wagler was the fifth straight freshman to hear his name called on Tuesday, following AJ Dybantsa (Washington), Darryn Peterson (Utah), Cameron Boozer (Memphis) and Caleb Wilson (Chicago).
Indiana
What Teams Could Be Good NBA Draft Trade Partners For Indiana Pacers?
PARIS, FRANCE – JANUARY 25: Blake Wesley #14 of the San Antonio Spurs drives to the basket between RayJ Dennis #10 and Johnny Furphy #12 of the Indiana Pacers during the fourth quarter at The Accor Arena on January 25, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Getty Images
INDIANAPOLIS – With the NBA Draft approaching tonight, the Indiana Pacers are on the outside looking in. On Tuesday, the first round will take place as 30 rookies join the NBA.
The Pacers aren’t currently involved. They don’t have a selection among the first 30. In fact, they don’t have one at all. Their top pick is owned by the Los Angeles Clippers and their second rounder is in the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies. Indiana and Portland are the only two franchises without a selection in this week’s proceedings.
Even without a pick in either round, the Pacers did their homework ahead of the draft. Dozens of prospects came into their practice facility to work out in front of front office members, scouts, coaches, and more. That on-court prep matters for Indiana’s decision makers, and the face-to-face meetings with prospects are sometimes more valuable at this stage of the process.
And just because the Pacers don’t own a 2026 draft pick right now doesn’t mean they won’t make one by the end of Wednesday night. They have plenty of future picks to trade and have frequently made moves early in the second round. Indiana has been active with picks in the 31-38 range during the 2020s.
There are good reasons to do so again, though as contenders acquiring young talent is not a necessity for the Pacers. If they do decide to trade for a 2026 NBA Draft selection, who might be a good trade partner for the blue and gold?
In 2024, the Pacers and San Antonio Spurs agreed to a trade involving second round picks. That deal put Johnny Furphy in Indianapolis. In 2025, Indiana and San Antonio linked up again – this time, the Spurs swapped the 38th pick for a future second-round selection.
These teams have a history of draft-related transactions. And they could be good fits for one another again. While the Spurs have several roster spots to fill this summer and have the wiggle room to bring in a few rookies, they are contenders. They need to add proven veterans in free agency. Yet as of this writing, they own four picks in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Those four are 20th, 35th, 42nd, and 44th overall. Could the Pacers grab one of those picks and send San Antonio a future asset that may be more helpful down the line? The Grizzlies appear to be entering a rebuild and would thus value draft selections. But Memphis has 14 players under contract – a full roster – before making a single pick in the coming draft.
There are a few players the Grizzlies could easily part with. But their roster crunch makes them a trade candidate this week, especially as they hold picks No. 3, 16, and 32. That early-second round pick seems like a particularly good fit for the Pacers if these teams agree to a trade.
The Nets find themselves in a similar position to the Grizzlies. Entering the offseason, they could have as many as 13 players under contract after agreeing to acquire Julius Randle from the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. They also possess multiple picks in the coming draft.
Brooklyn is slated to select sixth, 28th, and 43rd. Could 28 or 43 be in play for Indiana if the Nets need to keep their roster spots open in anticipation of other moves?
The Cavaliers and Pacers made a trade involving draft picks earlier this decade when Caris LeVert went to Cleveland and Ricky Rubio to Indiana. Multiple second-round picks and a first-round selection were exchanged in the deal. This week, the Cavaliers could be a trade candidate with their only draft pick. Cleveland holds pick 29 overall, which comes with a starting salary just under $3 million (pending rookie scale usage). But right now, the Cavs are over the salary cap’s second apron.
That means adding more contracts would make it harder for the team to be flexible or add other talent in the offseason. Cleveland makes sense as a team that would move their late first-round pick for multiple future assets, or even move back into the second round. Indiana could be a good trade partner if that is the case.
CLEVELAND, OHIO – APRIL 13: Andrew Nembhard #2 of the Indiana Pacers guards Craig Porter Jr. #9 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first quarter at Rocket Arena on April 13, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Getty Images The Thunder, like the Cavaliers, project to be an expensive team in 2026-27. So much so that they already agreed to a trade that will send forward Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for second-round draft capital.
While the money is the headliner for the Thunder, they fit the same boxes as every team listed so far. Like the Spurs, they are contenders and perhaps more interested in upgrades than young talent. Like the Cavaliers, they have a pricey roster. And like the Grizzlies and Nets, they have several draft picks and a more filled roster. Oklahoma City owns picks 12, 17, and 37 entering the draft. Pick 37, in particular, feels like one that could be moved.
Atlanta has been mentioned in multiple reports as a team looking for upgrades in the offseason. They were the only team able to beat the champion New York Knicks more than once in the most recent NBA playoffs, so improving their roster is a natural next step.
The Hawks own the eighth overall pick, which would be challenging for the Pacers to obtain. But the Hawks, who have 12 players under contract, also own picks 23 and 57. Is there a world in which Atlanta’s later selections become available in bigger deals? They don’t have the perfect asset for the Pacers to chase like some other teams but seem like a team to watch in general during the two-night draft.
The Clippers and Pacers already made a trade involving a 2026 draft pick. Could they do so again?
Los Angeles has 13 players under contract and owns picks five, 36, and 52. They could easily use all three selections and spend a two-way contract on their 52nd pick. But the Clippers have shaken up their team quite a bit in the last few months and are a team worth watching this week. New York just won a title. Keeping their core together seems like a prudent move. And maybe the Knicks do exactly that – they’ve already reportedly agreed to terms with Mohamed Diawara and have agreed to change a contract detail for Jose Alvarado.
But like a few teams on this list, the Knicks are expensive. They are approaching the second apron, and crossing that team spending threshold has been a topic of discussion surrounding the franchise since their championship parade.
“There’s certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron,” Knicks owner James Dolan said in a recent radio interview.
New York holds the 24th, 31st, and 55th overall picks. Could the Pacers move into the late first or early second round via a trade with New York?
Count the Nuggets, who possess picks 26 and 49, in the expensive teams group. They are approaching the second apron and have many roster spots to fill out to complete their team. As Denver looks to contend around Nikola Jokic, would they be willing to move their pick late in the first-round to make their salary cap sheet make better sense? If so, the Pacers could be a good trade partner.
While the Bulls don’t have a filled roster or financial crunch, they have other noteworthy factors to keep an eye on.
One is that the team switched its front office leader, bringing in Bryson Graham as their new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. His draft strategy isn’t clear as a team’s top dog.
The Bulls also join the Spurs as the only two teams with four picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. That volume makes a move more likely, though Chicago doesn’t have a strong need to deal a pick.
The Pacers have multiple attractive future second-round picks they could move in trades, and they have some recent draftees in Jarace Walker, Ben Sheppard, and Kam Jones that are still developing but could be moved. In their draft pick and salary cap reality, a trade seems possible, and the above teams would all be natural candidates for a variety of reasons.Could the Spurs and Pacers make another deal?
Memphis Grizzlies
Brooklyn Nets
Another Pacers trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers?
Oklahoma City Thunder
Atlanta Hawks
A Los Angeles Clippers and Indiana Pacers draft trade again?
New York Knicks
Denver Nuggets
Chicago Bulls
Iowa
Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson selected 28th in 2026 NBA Draft
Iowa State basketball forward Joshua Jefferson on being All-American
Iowa State basketball forward Joshua Jefferson on being a first team All-American.
Iowa State basketball forward Joshua Jefferson sat in the stands of the Barclays Center, the site of the 2026 NBA Draft, before he was selected in the first round on June 23.
Now he’ll be taking the court and calling that arena home. The Barclays Center is also the home venue for the Brooklyn Nets. Jefferson was drafted 28th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he was traded to the Nets shortly thereafter.
“Just seeing what they need for their team, they felt that I fit in a lot of spots because of my versatility,” Jefferson said of his pre-draft communication with the Nets organization. “I think I’m where I need to be. The Nets took a great chance with me, and I’m very thankful for that.”
The versatile 6-foot-9 Jefferson continues to put himself in exclusive Iowa State basketball company. A consensus All-American, Jefferson is the first Cyclone to be drafted since Tyrese Haliburton was taken 12th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. Dating back to 2000, Jefferson is the sixth Iowa State product to be a first-round draft selection, joining Marcus Fizer, Jamaal Tinsley, Craig Brackins, Royce White and Haliburton.
He’s looking forward to playing alongside other versatile big men, new Nets teammates Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr.
“So much knowledge between the two, and I’m just going to be a sponge,” Jefferson said. “Asking them questions all the time and learning as much as I can. They’ve been through the ups and downs of the league, and it’s going to be on me to make sure that I’m seeking information.”
After starting out as a three-star recruit from Las Vegas, Nevada, Jefferson arrived at Iowa State as an under-the-radar transfer coming off a knee injury after two seasons at Saint Mary’s.
Once healthier, Jefferson had a breakout junior year in 2024-25 when he became the first player in Big 12 Conference history to record more than 450 points, 250 rebounds, 100 assists, 70 steals and 25 blocks in a season.
He followed up on his impressive introductory season in Ames with an All-American campaign as a senior in 2025-26. The do-it-all forward elevated his game in nearly every aspect on the court and showcased an improved perimeter jumper.
He averaged a career-best 16.4 points, with 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He shot 47.1% overall and 34.5% from long range. Jefferson became the first player in school and Big 12 history to record multiple triple-doubles during conference play in a season.
Jefferson achieved the feat with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against West Virginia on Jan. 2, then followed up with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists in a turnover-free outing in a win over UCF on Jan. 20.
He graduated from Iowa State as a two-time All-Big 12 player and the first Cyclone to earn consensus All-American honors since Georges Niang did so in 2016. He racked up 1,367 points, 737 rebounds, 352 assists, 179 steals and 70 blocks over his four years of college basketball, which includes two seasons at Saint Mary’s and two more at Iowa State.
Jefferson stands out with his versatility and toughness on both ends of the court. He can rumble down low but also possesses skills like a guard, from his playmaking ability, good decision-making and court vision. Defensively, he can guard multiple positions and is a strong rebounder.
“The thing about my game that’s going to translate pretty quickly is my physicality,” Jefferson said. “The NBA is a physical game right now, you have to be physical in the playoffs to win and that’s what I’m going to bring.
“Then, just going to continue working on my shot. Shooting it really well throughout this pre-draft process, a lot of reps. I think if I continue to do that, it’s going to keep me on the floor, and defending on both sides.”
Unfortunately for Jefferson, he didn’t get a proper ending to his collegiate career. He suffered an ankle injury in the opening minutes of the Cyclones’ first-round rout of Tennessee State in the NCAA Tournament. He missed the remainder of his team’s run in the Big Dance, and the short-handed Cyclones fell to Tennessee in the Sweet 16.
Now healthy and his NBA dreams realized, Jefferson is looking to start the next chapter of his basketball journey strong.
“When that injury happened, I feel like a lot of things were jeopardized from that, but going into pre-draft, I was like, just make the most of your workouts and attack rehab and then everything’s going to go how it needs to go,” Jefferson said. “Very blessed for this position that I’m in and just very thankful.”
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5
This story has been edited from its original publication to clarify that Jefferson was drafted by Minnesota and then traded to Brooklyn.
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