If you've ever wondered what the "Brotherhood" is all about at Ohio State, look no further than this next story. It's a bond that connects players in a way that might be as close to family as blood. These athletes spend three to four years living under a microscope. Most can't understand the pressure that comes with that kind of pressure, but it solidifies a unique bond that only the person next to you understands. If you've ever had the chance to experience it, you know it's something special. So special, you'd do anything in your power to help a "brother," and that's exactly what a former Buckeye is doing.
Former basketball teammates Terence Dials and JJ Sullinger formed a friendship on the hardwood of Value City Arena in the early 2000s. After
starring at Thomas Worthington High School, JJ would spend a year at Arkansas before transferring home to Ohio State. There he met Dials, who was quickly establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten, where he would earn Big Ten Player of the Year as well as First-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2006.
In a video released by the basketball program, the word family is defined in a short five-minute segment. Dials revealed that he had been in a 10-year battle with chronic kidney disease, with each passing year the disease getting worse. Doctors told him to begin the process of checking with family and friends who might be a match. Getting emotional, he revealed that his old running mate and best friend stepped up immediately without question to offer one of his kidneys.
Sullinger also took time to address the team to give insight into his decision. He shared that this wasn't something that happened overnight, but that it had started over 20 years ago when a friendship was forged through the fire of competing side by side. Basketball was the driving force behind the friendship, but something bigger than basketball was formed.
It's one thing to say you'll do anything for your brother. It's an entirely different level to give a vital organ to save a friend's life. That's what the brotherhood is all about. You can see the entire video courtesy of the Ohio State Basketball social media, but be warned ... You may want to have a tissue handy.
๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ก๐จ๐จ๐. ๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ, ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐ข๐ญ, ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ข๐ญ.
โ Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) October 27, 2026
Take a look into our locker room the moment Recruiting Coordinator Terrance Dials told the team that his former teammate, JJ Sullinger, would be donating him hisโฆ pic.twitter.com/pnSqozoxXm
That is the power of sports. It is the definition of being so selfless that you are willing to sacrifice your own well-being for the sake of another. That's the very definition of the Brotherhood. Even more, it's the definition of family.
Columbus Dispatch writer shared that Sullinger and Dials underwent the transplant surgery on Monday, Oct. 12, in a successful procedure in a powerful article detailing the long journey.
โThe real hero of this story is J.J.,โ Dials said. โIโm just the recipient. Heโs the one who had a selfless act. This is the most selfless act you can do. If anything, heโs the hero in this, and I want him to get all the accolades and praise because this is what he deserves. He did not have to do it, and he did. Thank him. โฆ Words arenโt enough for what he did for me.โ
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Former Ohio State teammates share bond through kidney donation
