Sports and the lifestyle behind it is what we’re drawn to as consumers.
We watch it on television, buy apparel and live vicariously through the players via social media, such as Twitter and Instagram.
It takes a village to raise a child, and an even bigger village to help maintain an athlete’s success once they have arrived. But it’s important to remember that certain sacrifices have been made to get your favorite athletes in a position to be successful.
Take the Mothers of Professional Basketball Players, for example. Founded in 1996 by 23 founding mothers, the Mothers of Professional Basketball Players is an organization developed to reach out to professional basketball players in time of need. The goal is to support communities where sons and daughters live, work and play.
The group was founded by Charlotte Brandon, mother of retired NBA vet Terrell Brandon. Momma Brandon served as the group’s president. Lucille O’Neal, mother of NBA Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal is now the president of the group. “Each time we come together, we’re supporting various organizations and trying to make the world aware that we do other things than just sitting on the sidelines,” Lucille O’Neal.said on the Scoop B Radio podcast.
Lucille O’Neal takes the role seriously and believes that the organization represents the connection to the world of professional basketball and the world at large. In existence for 18 years, the Mothers of Professional Basketball Players has many new faces but welcomes everyone with open arms. The 501 (c) (3) organization also does charitable work like speaking to teen mothers, supporting organizations for single parents, toy drives and coat drives during the holidays and given to the Boys and Girls Clubs and Sickle Cell Foundation. To hear more about the Mothers of Professional Basketball Players and their initiatives, check out more of what Lucille O’Neal shared with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson on the Scoop B Radio podcast by clicking here.
