The Orlando Magic on Saturday named Markelle Fultz the winner of the 2021-22 Rich & Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award — an award that honors a player for outstanding community service.
Fultz, a first-time winner of the award, will be granted $25,000 from the DeVos Family Foundations to donate to the charity of his choice. Mo Bamba, Wendell Carter Jr. and Jonathan Isaac were among the finalists. Isaac was a co-winner along with Aaron Gordon for 2018-19.
The award, which has usually been given out annually since 1995, was presented during the second Orlando Wine Festival and Auction benefiting the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes. A panel of representatives based the selection on the last two years of the player’s community work.
“The legacy of our parents lives on through the great work in the Central Florida community by the entire Magic organization,” said Magic chairman Dan DeVos. “We congratulate Markelle as this year’s winner and look forward to the Magic’s continued commitment to the Orlando community.”
Among Fultz’s work in the community during the 2020-22 seasons were:
- Joining Carter and Chuma Okeke in sponsoring the “Drive By Blessing” event, which donated 300 turkeys, pantry and produce items to seniors and families in the community for Thanksgiving last year.
- Sponsoring his annual “Fultzgiving” event in the District of Columbia, which supplied 200 turkeys, pantry and produce items for families and seniors in the community at the Emery Heights Community Center for Thanksgiving 2021.
- Joining Magic coach Jamahl Mosley for a Holiday Surprise for kids by purchasing gift cards for 67 Head Start program children (ages 3-5 years old) for the holidays in 2021.
- Sponsoring 300 at-risk youth to attend games during this season as part of the Share the Magic program.
The Orlando Wine Festival and Auction, which is the Magic’s signature fundraiser for the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation, debuted in 2019. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was canceled in 2020 and ‘21 and the community enrichment award wasn’t given either year.
Injury updates
Mosley said Carter (sprained left ankle) and Okeke (left knee contusion) practiced Saturday while Jalen Suggs (right ankle bone bruise) sat out ahead of Sunday’s home game vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder after the trio missed Thursday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Carter, the Magic’s leading scorer since Jan. 1, and Okeke weren’t on the Saturday afternoon injury report for Sunday. Suggs was listed as questionable.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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