NBA Preseason Giving

“The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.” (Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Most fans are excited for the NBA season to get underway, but I relish this time of year not just for the hoops, but for the preseason love our NBA hotties lavish on their communities…yesterday tipped off the 2009 NBA Cares Week of Service where every NBA team will host a variety of “hands-on service events through Oct. 26 in a collaborative effort to give back to children, families, and the community and to increase fan awareness about the importance of service.”

Increasing my ‘fan awareness’ yesterday were the Memphis Grizzlies…Zach Randolph, Mike Conley(L), and DeMarre Carroll® danced with kids, read to them and gave away Grizzly backpacks during a Read to Achieve Event at Norris Elementary School in Memphis, Tennessee …

All week, NBA teams are making the rounds-joining with community members and partners in an effort to support health, education, and environmental awareness programs through several projects…I’ll try to keep up with all the action, which includes: The Detroit Pistons will distribute 1,000 pairs of shoes to children in partnership with Samaritan’s Feet…the Los Angeles Lakers and community volunteers will assemble holiday care packages for deployed U.S. service members in partnership with Operation Gratitude…the New Orleans Hornets will visit pediatric patients at a local hospital, host a three-day children’s book distribution at the Audubon Zoo, and tip off their Read to Achieve program by hosting 500 local fifth graders at Louisiana Children’s Museum for a writing workshop and 13 simultaneous Reading Timeouts…the Phoenix Suns and community volunteers will build bunk beds for Steve Nash and I and underprivileged children in partnership with Rebuilding Together…the Chicago Bulls will host “Operation Stock the Library” at Henry H. Nash Elementary School. Players will stock the school’s library with $8,000 worth of brand-new books to tip off the team’s Read to Achieve program…the Los Angeles Clippers will provide 1,600 local families with food and personal care items in partnership with Feed the Children…the Golden State Warriors will prepare and serve meals to 150 homeless children and families in partnership with CityTeam Ministries in Oakland…the New Jersey Nets will host a park clean-up day at Branchbrook Park in Newark, N.J. (I suspect that’s gonna be a long day)…the Oklahoma City Thunder will spend time with youngsters at an area homeless shelter…and the Orlando Magic will serve food to homeless children and families at the Christian Service Center in downtown Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood.

The NBA Cares Week of Service aligns with President Obama’s recent launch of the United We Serve initiative (www.serve.gov), which seeks to expand the impact of volunteer work in existing organizations and encourage individuals to make a difference in their communities. Fans can find out about volunteer opportunities and learn more about the NBA’s community partners by going to www.nba.com/nbacares. In the immortal words of Nike: JUST DO IT! Get out and volunteer to help our ballers improve the communities and make the kids smile!

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com