ORLANDO – As Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley stepped into the gym, everyone got quiet.
He commanded the attention of the group and requested that the players focus on three important tenets during their training session: working hard, being a great teammate, and having fun.
However, these athletes were not NBA players. Instead, they were nearly 30 children from the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida who were under the tutelage of the Magic’s head coach for the evening.
Mosley, along with members of the team’s staff, capped off a week of service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by hosting a basketball clinic at the Boys & Girls Club on Thursday.
“That’s what his legacy is all about,” said Mosley. “It’s all about giving back and it’s all about doing the right thing. No matter where you do it, it’s about treating people the right way, equality for everyone, and justice for everyone.”
The staff took the children through a series of drills that focused on improving the fundamentals of their respective games. From passing to shooting to finishing at the rim, the Magic delivered many of the lessons that they give to their own players.
“The fundamentals are the most important piece of the game, regardless of what age,” Mosley explained. “We do the same types of drills to start our practices. It goes a long way. And if they can start it at this age, it can take them a long way.”
The Magic’s head coach not only helped take the children through a series of drills, but also offered them words of inspiration. Magic staff members also provided an additional assist by helping the club with an on-site renovation.
“It’s special because our kids get to see consistency,” said Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida Senior Service Director Tasha Robinson-Banks, whose witnessed many Magic visits to her site over the years. “In communities like ours, often times people come, and they go. But I love that the Orlando Magic are committed to providing new experiences for our kids every year. Even taking it a step further, they let our kids see what service truly is. The volunteers being here, coach Mosley taking the time to be here, all of that is special and allows us to truly see what is magic.”
Over the course of a five-day period, 250 members of the Magic’s staff volunteered at 17 different Central Florida nonprofits, including CECO, Rescue Outreach Mission, Center for Independent Living, Central Florida Dreamplex, United Against Poverty, UCP of Central Florida, Clean the World, Mustard Seed, Coalition for the Homeless, One Heart for Women & Children, Christian Service Center, Second Harvest, Pathlight Home, Habitat for Humanity, A Gift for Teaching, Ronald McDonald House and the aforementioned Boys & Girls Club.
The team will round out the week-long celebration with additional in-game activities on Friday for MLK Day when the Magic host the Sixers at Kia Center. In-game festivities to include:
- Pregame crowd address from Magic player
- Magic players wearing a custom Nike Martin Luther King Jr. day on-court warm-up T-shirt. The T-shirt was designed in collaboration with the MLK Foundation, Martin Luther King III and the NBPA
- The Magic to honor City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer’s MLK Youth Humanitarians and the Mayor’s MLK Commission members
- The Magic of Mentoring youth to be recognized in game. This initiative works to reduce the achievement gap among Central Florida minority youth by providing educational experiences, exposure to careers in sports and mentorship. Since inception, more than 850 youth have participated in the summit learning from prominent local leaders
- The Magic Diversity Game Changer presented by Florida Blue special recognition honoring Dawn Oflodile from VyStar
- Orlando Magic Youth Foundation (OMYF) MLK-specific E-auction. The OMYF will host an E-auction in-game for fans at Kia Center to bid on MLK-specific items. Funds raised will go to the OMYF, which benefits local at-risk youth
- The Magic will recognize and honor the many accomplishments and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through remembrance videos featuring Orlando Magic players
Through the Florida Blue and Magic Diversity Game Changer honoree, the two team up to recognize those making significant contributions to the Central Florida community at select games throughout the season. The Jan. 19 in-game Diversity Game Changer honoree is Dawn Oflodile from VyStar. Olfodile has served on boards and committees for several local organizations, including the Orlando Economic Partnership, Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Winter Park Alumni Council, Winter Park Housing Authority, UNCF Orlando Leadership Council, Oviedo-Winter Springs Chamber of Commerce, the City of Orlando Mayor's Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, and the UCF Town & Gown Council. She is a graduate of Leadership Winter Park Class XXVI and currently serves as the Alumni Council immediate past president, as well as Leadership West Orange, Connect DTO, and Athena NextGen.
The Magic will also recognize Mayor Dyer’s MLK Youth Humanitarian award winners at halftime of the game. In addition, the Magic will host the youth as well as the MLK Commission in a suite for the game. The winners are Orange County middle and high school students selected by school officials for exemplifying the ideals embraced by Dr. King. The mission for the Orlando Mayor's MLK Commission is to strengthen the Orlando community by promoting Dr. King's legacy of service, equality, justice, peace, respect and inclusion for all. For more than three decades, the MLK Commission has joined with corporate and community partners to plan and promote a variety of programs and events that celebrate his life and legacy. The Commission is a partnership and represents a cross-section of civic leaders from the private, public and non-profit sectors.
The Magic celebrate diversity and embrace its many characteristics and the value it brings to both business and community—understanding what can be accomplished when everyone works together to achieve legendary moments. The Magic are committed to creating an environment in which employees, community partners and fans feel welcome, valued and appreciated. Fans can join the MLK Night celebration Friday by visiting OrlandoMagic.com.
Orlando's NBA franchise since 1989, the Magic's mission is to be world champions on and off the court, delivering legendary moments every step of the way. Under the DeVos family’s ownership, the Magic have seen great success in a relatively short history, winning six division championships (1995, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2019) with seven 50-plus win seasons and capturing the Eastern Conference title in 1995 and 2009. Off the court, on an annual basis, the Orlando Magic gives more than $2 million to the local community by way of sponsorships of events, donated tickets, autographed merchandise, and grants. Orlando Magic community relations programs impact an estimated 100,000 kids each year, while a Magic staff-wide initiative provides more than 7,000 volunteer hours annually. In addition, the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation (OMYF), which serves at-risk youth, has distributed more than $29 million to local nonprofit community organizations over the last 34 years.