On Wednesday, Nick Young hosted his third annual back-to-school giveaway at Robertson Park for the first time as a Los Angeles Laker. The six-year veteran donated school supplies and barbecue to a park full of children.
During his giveaway, Young talked about the importance of giving back to the community he grew up in, courtesy of the Los Angeles Times:
“This is where it all started from, right here at Robertson Park. It’s where I grew up playing. I have history here. This is my neighborhood.”
Not only did Young raffle off memorabilia, laptops, and iPads, Young played multiple two-on-two games with the children and even dunked on one of them. After the games, Young talked about how excited he is to finally be a Laker:
“I grew up a Laker fan. Kobe, Shaq, Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones — now I’m playing in that purple and gold.”
One of the main reasons why Young signed with the Lakers this off-season for the veteran’s minimum was to come back home. After six seasons in the league, he felt it was important at this stage of his career to play under the bright lights of Los Angeles. During his press conference, Young even mentioned he felt disrespected and wanted to prove himself in the league.
It’s encouraging to see Young giving back to the community he grew up in and the excitement he has to be a Laker. This past season, Young averaged 10.6 points while appearing 59 games for the Philadelphia 76ers.
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