Suns’ McGee, Johnson players giving back
Pair in pre-Thanksgiving spirit with area charities
JaVale McGee puts causes like this on his checklist when joining a new team.
On Tuesday, the Suns center hosted youth and families from Child Crisis Arizona for Thanksgiving dinner at Footprint Center.
“Soon as a I get to a city, I try to figure out where the need is, what can I do for the holiday season,” McGee said.
Child Crisis Arizona provides youth in Arizona “a safe environment, free from abuse and neglect, by creating strong and successful families.”
A fan favorite already in his first season in Phoenix, McGee said giving back has been something he’s done since becoming an NBA player.
McGee was the 18th overall selection in the 2008 draft out of Nevada.
“When I first got into the league, my mother definitely instilled giving back,” said McGee, the son of Hall of Famer, Pamela McGee. “I don’t like calling it charity, but helping the needy early on. Since I’ve been in the league, I’ve been doing turkey drives, gift giveaways. With
every holiday season, I like to do something. So when I came to Phoenix, I tried to figure out a way to give back.”
McGee wasn’t the only Suns player in the holiday spirit this week.
Cam Jonson and Jalen Smith participated in a Thanksgiving volunteer effort Thursday at Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Phoenix.
“It was a little bit of excitement, but it was also business as usual,” Johnson said after Friday morning’s shootaround for Suns-Mavs game at Footprint Center. “I was serving the food a lot. So I wasn’t out and about as much as I was behind the counter scooping the mashed potatoes and the gravy onto the plates, but a lot of the kids were excited for sure.”
Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a nonprofit organization “focused on providing individualized care, nourishment and resources to those most in need.”
Johnson was impressed with the organization’s operation.
“It takes a lot of hands-on deck over there,” he said. “They have a lot of volunteers and everything is on a volunteer basis.”
Two weeks ago, Deandre Ayton posted a video about a collaboration with Green Mango Pest Control for a holiday food drive with a goal to “collect 100,000 pounds” of food for the United Food Bank.
“Giving back to the Valley I love is extremely important to my family and I,” Ayton said in the Nov. 8 video.
Those who donate will have a chance to win prizes signed by the Suns starting big and $1,000. People are being asked to donate by Nov. 24.
The Suns will be on a road trip during Thanksgiving week, as they play Nov. 24 against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Nov. 26 against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Thanksgiving is Nov. 25.
This will be the first meeting this season between the Suns and Knicks. The Cavaliers lost in Phoenix, 101-92, on Devin Booker’s birthday, Oct. 30.