adams taught himself case law and wrote to the wisconsin innocence project. >> we got the letter from jared in time to allow us to do a federal appeal. we had powerful new evidence that had not been presented to the jury. >> reporter: after nine years in prison, adams' case finally reached the top federal court in the midwest. in a unanimous vote, the justices threw out his conviction, ruling he didn't receive an adequate defense. >> the day they overturned my conviction, i was taken to a phone room. they said, jared, you won. hearing that brought tears to my eyes. it's fallible. it's bound to make mistakes. but it also tells us that when we make mistakes, they are catastrophic. >> reporter: with adams forcefully maintaining his innocence and refusing a plea deal, prosecutors decided not to retry him. he was free, but he was a 26-year-old man with a life paused at 17. >> when i went to prison, there was no google. there was no e-mail. there was none of this stuff. i had to figure out a way in which i could catch up with the world, to be able to have a shot at life. >> reporter: he set a lof

i spent time in chicago with jared adams, he spent nine years in prison for a crime he insisted he didit. taught himself to lawyer while in prison. appealed through the project, got the innocence project in wisconsin to take his case and it went all the way up to the 7th circuit, the to the court in the midwest. they overturned his conviction, he got out of prison, put himself through college and loyola law school. he's standing in front of the 7th circuit. why? because he just won a clerkship to work for the 7th circuit for the courts that set him free. it's a pretty incredible story. i spoke to him. here's what he said about how our prison systems are operating. >> we are locking up and throwing away some of the brightest minds that we have in this country. a stigma is being placed on people. you know. who go to prison. just to think, i was in prison! and now a lawyer working for the 7th circuit judge? i didn't just take a smart pill upon my release. you know? so imagine if i had to serve this 19 years in prison and not be able to contribute my perspective to society right now today.

i just got back from chicago, where i spent time with jared adams, a young man who was arrested at agenvicted of a crime he says he didn't commit. he then went on to try to work and appeal his case, studying the law, teaching himself in prison. it ultimately went up to the top federal appeals court in chicago. you see it there on the screen in front of the red statue there? well, that's the 7th circuit. they overturned his conviction and let him out. i spent time with jared because he now has graduated law school, and jose, he's done something that no lawyer i've talked to said they've ever heard of. he is now clerking for the very court that set him free. it's a pretty remarkable turn of events for this young man. i want to play for you some sound. we talked about how the prison system works, some of the downsides in terms of who america's locking up. take a listen. >> we are locking up and throwing away some of the brightest minds that we have in this country. and there's a stigma that's being placed on people, you know who go to prison. just to think, you know, i was in prison. and

gli talked to jared collins sitting in luke's chair and he feels confident with luke at the hem and the rod adamsefensive-minded coach and he said steve has created an unusual stew that only he knows how to stir. he feels like they should be okay until steve returns. what's amazing is everybody we talked to has no idea when steve will be back so this could go on for weeks, a month, you know who knows. so it's going to be interesting to see how this team and having luke here, having everybody together, think they feel comfortable going in. >> i hope steve kerr can be here tonight. to get the ring. it will be awkward if he gets the ring and leaves, because he's not feeling well. we'll see how it shakes out. that's a wrap for now, for mike shumann, the model, larry beil, live at oracle arena. back to you. >> keeps changing clothes. >>> well tonight will be the first time ever that a live professional sporting event is being broadcast in high-definition virtual reality. being made possible by nextvr, a company that captures and delivers live, on-demand virtual reality experiences, we've profiled this