Carolina’s Wayne Ellington has turned sorrow into meaningful action.
Ellington, the Most Outstanding Player at the 2009 Final Four in Detroit, has had to live with more than the normal ups and downs of a pro athlete. In 2014, his father was shot to death while sitting in his car on the mean streets of Philadelphia.
Ellington wrote a letter titled ‘Pops’ in The Players’ Tribune
Ellington channeled his grief into several anti-gun violence programs, such as being the featured speaker in Philly’s Peace Day “March for Peace” and joining other pros to run the fourth annual Peace League Tournament, which also aims to curb gang violence in Chicago.
He then launched the non-profit “Power of W.E.,” which will run the Philadelphia Peace Games in August, bringing members from rival gangs together in one of the basketball games that will be played on a court Ellington raised money to build with permanent messages about gun control and gangs.
In February of 2016, while Ellington’s Brooklyn Nets team was in the middle of a dismal, 21-61 season, the man who shot and killed Wayne Ellington, Sr., was sentenced from 30-60 years in prison after pleading guilty to third-degree murder. Ellington said it brought some kind of closure to his family but, obviously, will never bring his dad back.
Then last month, Ellington received the prestigious J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award from the Pro Basketball Writers of America. Kennedy was the second commissioner of the NBA, and the honor goes to an NBA player who shows outstanding leadership in the community. Ellington had to beat out current NBA stars LeBron James, Chris Paul, John Wall and George Hill for the award.
Ellington also sponsored the New York City grassroots program, the Rens, with the first youth league teams to wear orange patches on their uniforms as a statement against gun violence. Ellington bought and donated more than 2,000 Nets tickets for youth groups all over the city.
Hats off to Carolina’s Wayne Ellington, who turned his father’s senseless killing into something very special.
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