On the latest episode of Listen In With KNN on Fox Sports 1340AM, host Kelsey Nicole Nelson welcomed former National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Antonio Davis and University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) student Joshua Jones of Coaching Corps to the show.
Davis played 13 seasons in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks. His best years came with the Raptors which led to an All-Star Game appearance.
“I remember guys like Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady and some of the games we had and won. Finally, we had the playoffs outside the United States and won a series,” Davis said. “Next thing you know you got all these fans outside the arena watching the game. Toronto is a beautiful city.”
Speaking of his upbringing, he was born and raised in Oakland, California where it was easy to be led in the wrong direction. Fortunately, he was able to have great mentors in his life.
“We had some good community leaders that were constantly telling us to go to school or get involved in something positive. I had a great support system which allowed me to understand the importance of education,” Davis said.
As a result, he took part as an ambassador at Coaching Corps, a non-profit based in his hometown which connected athletic mentors and coaches with low-income kids. As he looked to which organization to start in, he gravitated towards its Director of Government and Community Engagement Robert Marcus because of his spirit and dedication to community work.
“As a young man, if I didn’t have the mentors as coaches in my life at a young age, I knew that I wouldn’t have taken advantage of any of the opportunities I had. So that was important.
In addition to Coaching Corps, Davis takes part in a non-profit food bank called Emeryville Community Action Program (ECAP) which is open from Monday to Thursday and Saturday.
One of the kids he met at the Coaching Corps was Joshua Jones, who also has a similar background. He grew up in Hercules, California, and is currently a sophomore at the University of Nevada, Reno. After doing the Fall and Spring Semesters, Jones was sent home because of COVID-19 but came up with a plan to keep himself busy.
“I hit up my old high school AAU coach Shawn Granberry and he introduced me to a couple of opportunities in ways I can help. It doesn’t matter what kind of living condition I’m in, I’m going to do everything I can to help the homeless people out,” Jones said.
“I’m doing everything that I can for my community whether it’s with Coaching Corps or not. I love this company and love what it’s doing. As long as I’m here and they’re doing what they’re doing then all signs point forward.”
