The viral video of the kid dubbed “Mini Cheetah” captured the attention of the Cheetah himself, Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Frank Crawford III, who dons a Hill jersey and goes by Lil Franco or Mini Cheetah, went viral for his speed, jukes and spins against neighborhood kids. The video posted to Instagram has amassed more than 215,000 views as people were enthralled with the youngster’s ability to get past the opponent.
Of course, a player with this skill set and nickname made Hill take notice. He stopped by a game in the Miami area to surprise Lil Cheetah and the rest of the players — and got his own surprise in return, as Crawford presented him with the Nickelodeon Valuable Player (NVP) award for his Week 1 performance and poured slime on him.
Slimed!
Shoutout to Lil Franco for helping us surprise @cheetah as @Nickelodeon’s Week 1 NVP! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/F147Rp9WqX
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) September 14, 2023
Upon Hill’s arrival, the group of kids immediately swarmed. A video circulated from accounts including Bleacher Report and the Dolphins’ page of Lil Cheetah’s highlights and of Hill meeting up with the kids, presenting Lil Franco with a jersey, agreeing to a race with all the young athletes, and giving a wholesome message to the star of the show.
“I’ll see you at the next level.” Hill said. “I’ll be coaching you, alright?”
Tyreek Hill surprised a young fan that went viral while wearing his jersey 🥹🐆
(via @MiamiDolphins) pic.twitter.com/y6B6VJt2Bo
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 14, 2023
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