In the spirit of giving this holiday season, the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) partnered with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals on December 19 for a “Day of Caring.” As part of this very special holiday community event, more than 40 former professional basketball players from the NBA, ABA and Harlem Globetrotters visited with patients at children’s hospitals in Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando and Phoenix.
“On behalf of the NBRPA Board of Directors, I would like to thank the Chapter Presidents and all of the members who participated in the Children's Miracle Network Legends Day of Caring,” said Board Chairman Otis Birdsong. “As a 501(c)3 charitable organization, the NBRPA is dedicated to giving back and serving communities – especially during the holiday season. Thank you to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, our philanthropic partner, for making this incredible day possible.”
Steve Hayes, a member of the NBRPA Board of Directors, visited Texas Children's hospital with the NBRPA Houston Chapter -- the largest group participating in the Day of Caring.
"We had a great turnout from the Houston Chapter and it was a great event to be a part of -- seeing how the members of our organization truly care and feel for these kids, their parents, and appreciation to the hospital workers for taking care of these kids," Hayes said. "We brought lots of smiles to children, their parents, and staff. The highlight of the day was Moses Malone playing the guitar while the Legends sang Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer to a little girl."
Click below to watch video of Moses Malone leading fellow Houston Chapter Members Robert Reid, Major Jones and Reggie Dixon in a singalong.
NBRPA Members talked about the event on Sirius/XM’s new NBA Channel and local media outlets from FOX and CBS covered the Day of Caring. Several of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals came back to the NBRPA with glowing reports about our members.
CHICAGO: The guys were SO fabulous ... kind, funny, and jumped right in to hang with the patients and families. Everyone had such a great time. We are happy to have them back any time
DETROIT: They were a hit with both patients and the staff, everyone really enjoyed themselves. Our staff remarked that this was the best visit we have had in a long time because they were so down to earth.
HOUSTON: The hospital has a very high census at this time so their visit was a wonderful distraction for the patients and their families. In the two hour time-frame, we were able to visit one inpatient floor as well as our Renal Dialysis Unit. All in all I’d say it was a great success! Hope the guys left feeling very satisfied for the time they spent at Texas Children’s bringing joy to our patients.
PHOENIX: The guys had a fantastic time and the kids had so much fun with them. They were super laid back and incredibly funny which made it a great visit. We had one mom thank them for making her son smile for the first time all day.
Participating NBRPA Members included:
CHICAGO CHAPTER: Emmette Bryant (Boston Celtics/New York Knicks/DePaul), Dave Corzine (Chicago Bulls/DePaul), Jeff Sanders (Chicago Bulls), and Kevin Porter (Detroit Pistons/Washington Bullets)
DALLAS CHAPTER: Cincy Powell (Dallas Chaparrals/ABA All-Star), Willie Davis (Dallas Chaparrals), Ira Terrell (Phoenix Suns/SMU), Steffond Johnson (Los Angeles Clippers)
DETROIT CHAPTER: Willie Norwood (Detroit Pistons), Willie Burton (Miami Heat), Maceo Baston (Indiana Pacers/University of Michigan), Earl Higgins (Indiana Pacers/Eastern Michigan)
HOUSTON CHAPTER: Major Jones (Houston Rockets), Ollie Taylor (New York Nets/University of Houston), Howard Smith (Harlem Globetrotters), Louis Dunbar (Harlem Globetrotters/University of Houston), Moses Malone (Hall of Fame/Houston Rockets/Philadelphia 76ers), Kevin Loder (Kansas City Kings), David Lattin (San Francisco Warriors/UTEP), Allen Leavell (Houston Rockets), Steve Hayes (Houston Rockets), Skyy Foreman (Harlem Globetrotters),George Campbell (Harlem Globetrotters), Robert Reid (Houston Rockets), Chris Morris (New Jersey Nets/Utah Jazz) and Reggie Dixon (Harlem Globetrotters)
LAS VEGAS CHAPTER: Spencer Haywood (ABA MVP/NBA All-Star/Seattle Sonics), Keith Starr (Chicago Bulls), Jerome Williams (New York Knicks/Toronto Raptors)
LOS ANGELES CHAPTER: Michael Cooper (5x NBA Champion/NBA Defensive Player of the Year/Los Angeles Lakers), Sam Williams (Philadelphia 76ers), Rick Darnell (Virginia Squires)
ORLANDO CHAPTER: Tree Rollins (Orlando Magic/Atlanta Hawks), Greg Minor (Boston Celtics), Tony Battie (Orlando Magic/Boston Celtics) and Greg Kite (Orlando Magic/Boston Celtics)
PHOENIX CHAPTER: Matt Fish (Los Angeles Clippers), Nick Sheppard, Claude Terry (Denver Nuggets), Steven Colter (Portland Trailblazers/Washington Bullets)
