Orlando Magic players, coaches, staff serve Thanksgiving breakfast at Coalition for the Homeless

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic held a Thanksgiving event at the Coalition for the Homeless Thursday.

▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS

For more than 30 years now, the annual tradition has allowed the team to provide a nutritious breakfast to people struggling with homelessness who rely on the coalition for their meals.

Head Coach Jamahl Mosley and Magic CEO Alex Martins joined 19-year-old rookie guard Anthony Black and his family as they served a special Thanksgiving Day breakfast to the nearly 500 people currently residing at the coalition and more than 100 homeless people from the community.

READ: French military to contribute 15,000 soldiers to massive security operation for Paris Olympics

It’s the third straight year that Coach Mosley has personally paid for the meal.

Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman, Magic Community Ambassadors Nick Anderson and Bo Outlaw, as well as other Magic staff and volunteers also participated.

“The Magic have done such a phenomenal job of being in the community, getting out and being able to share and give back,” Coach Mosley said. “31 years of this event is fantastic.”

READ: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich chastises home fans for booing Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers

The rookie Black says, as a kid in Texas, he remembers his mother taking him to community events like Thursday’s breakfast to help out. Other times, he says they would go under bridges and feed the homeless and give them clothes.

“The Orlando magic obviously means a lot to the city, and being here is impacting everybody that’s here’s life. It just shows how good a group of people that are with the Magic,” Black said. “The people in this organization are super caring, and it’s really family oriented. This is just another gesture to prove how connected and how good of an organization we have.”

Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida CEO and President Allison Krall says she’s extremely grateful for everything the team has done to help.

READ: Colts owner Jim Irsay says police pulled him over because he’s a ‘rich, white billionaire’

“31 years of the magic organization taking time away from their families to be here to serve those who do not have what these players, what this team, what this organization has, and giving back, it’s amazing,” Krall said.

The team is in second place right now in the NBA’s Eastern Conference standings with a record of 10 wins and five losses. They’re currently on a five-game winning streak after taking down the defending NBA Champion Denver Nuggets Wednesday night.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 8

Orlando Magic players, coaches, staff serve Thanksgiving breakfast at Coalition for the Homeless Rookie Guard Anthony Black and his family helped serve a special Thanksgiving Day breakfast to the nearly 500 people currently residing at the Coalition for the Homeless, and more than 100 people from the community. (Orlando Magic)

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

©2023 Cox Media Group