Chicago Tribune

April 9, 2004
by Sam Smith

Found: Quintet of NBA good guys

Though negative news often seems to dominate, there are good men in the league, especially the five nominated for the community service award

There are many complaints directed toward us in the newspaper business, some even from outside our families. Some say the reason newspapers publish daily is to correct the mistakes from the previous day. There's this old line about newspapers that 95 percent of what you read is true except the 5 percent of which you have personal knowledge.

Ah, but I digress. The complaint we hear most often is we are too negative. "Why don't you print good news?" people ask.

And we respond that there isn't any. No, actually, we publish plenty, but the bad stuff seems to stand out more.

There is plenty of bad in the NBA: Guys out on bail in felony cases, carrying guns, going into rehab (though rarely voluntarily), being arrested, blasting their coaches, management, teammates, the occasional coach-choking thrown in (Latrell Sprewell vs. P.J. Carlesimo) and recently sexual-abuse charges some of his children have made against ex-star Calvin Murphy.

Of course, some readers note the bad elements in the NBA make their lives seem better in comparison despite the disparity in salary.

Still, there are some good guys in sports and some good stories. There are some great guys in the NBA who have even better stories.

Such as Eric Snow of the Philadelphia 76ers.

He has been so touched by the lack of male parental involvement in the homes of so many that he sponsors a father and son outreach program. He takes fathers and sons to every 76ers game and has them with the team during introductions. Snow and his son regularly spend full days with another father and son whom Snow chooses personally based on letters written to him. He has no staff. He does the work and makes the decision. He also sponsors Eric's Challenge, which donates substantially to two groups supporting fathers in families.

Then there is Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers.

One of those guys you love to hate, right? Miller lost his home to fire a few years back and saw the devastation fire can bring. As a result, he has become involved with burn victims. He regularly hosts movie nights in his home theater for young burn victims and hosts them in his Pacers' suite. He has raised more than $600,000 so far for burn victims in the Indianapolis area. He contributed more than $250,000 to families after the 9-11 attacks. Miller also works on his own, without a staff. He doesn't allow the Pacers' to publicize his work. He is known in the Indianapolis area for stopping by schools and hospitals unannounced. He stops in the parking lot, calls the principal or administrator and asks if he can come in and visit. He has befriended many ill children, visits them regularly and has sat with families in vigils for terminally ill children.

How about Nick Van Exel of the Golden State Warriors?

Sometimes ridiculed for his casual attitude, Van Exel has championed the cause of and helped single-mother organizations for years. He purchased Warriors season tickets and gives them to nonprofit organizations to raffle and share. On holidays, he purchases meals and delivers them, mostly to shelters for battered women. He also spends considerable time around Christmas finding families with fathers and he delivers presents he has bought for the kids.

Desmond Mason of the Milwaukee Bucks is making his mark.

Though new to the Milwaukee area, he's one of team's most active players in community charities. He serves as spokesman for a local hospital's program to give young people the tools necessary to construct positive and peaceful solutions to conflict in their lives. He chairs the team's blood drive and personally goes out to encourage donations. He coaches local YMCA and Boys' and Girls' clubs teams and raises money for children's hospitals' cancer research.

Adonal Foyle of the Golden State Warriors leads politically by example.

He has become a nationally-recognized and highly-regarded speaker on grass roots democracy issues. He founded a nonprofit organization, "Democracy Matters," to encourage involvement in the political process. He has lobbied state assemblies, appeared on panels with Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and lectured on college campuses. He is from the tiny Caribbean island of Canouan, where he opened a reading center and supplied the books. He raises money for AIDS research with dinners in his home, funds a high school program that teaches money management and serves meals at shelters during the holidays.

And they can dunk too.

This is the time of year in the NBA when you'll hear about awards like MVP and Most Improved Player. These five players are finalists for the J. Walter Kennedy Community Service award presented by the Professional Basketball Writers Association. They won't get the headlines of the MVP or rookie of the year.

But they are people to make you proud of being an NBA fan. Perhaps that's the best reward.

OK? Now can we write about something stupid said by Kenyon Martin?

Copyright © 2004, The Chicago Tribune

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