Athletes Who Deliver

The Denver Nuggets NBA basketball team has a genuine leader named Chauncey Billips. Chauncey is home-grown, winning state high school basketball championships and taking the University of Colorado deep into the NCAA tourney. After winning an NBA championship at Detroit, Chauncey has come back home. The Nuggets have a 17-8 record since he suited up with them after being traded from Detroit.

Not only is he a masterful leader on the court, but he is also an excellent role model for the kids in Denver. Before Christmas he asked a local elementary school near the recreation center where he learned and honed his game of basketball, to refer to him families who might need help at Christmas. He purchased $3000 in gifts for the children of 26 families, and gave each family a $100 gift card at a local supermaket.

Chauncey has earned the respect of his teammates, who now play a much more unselfish brand of basketball. Maybe he can rub off on the rest of us, too, inspiring all of us to follow his example of unselfishness in the community.

Denver Broncos football stars Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall are two other athletes who are making a great contribution. For too long it has been considered cool to be a member of a gang in minority neighborhoods. Cutler and Marshall have been working with a gang-prevention program. Kids come after school, and learn the meaning of concepts such as courage, wisdom, justice, compassion, hope, respect, responsibility and integrity.

Rocky Mountain News columnist Dave Krieger, who, by the way, is one of the best, notes that "The temptations of the gang life are as great as ever, maybe greater, with legitimate jobs so scarce. Selling kids on another way at a young age is a challenge; except maybe Broncos players." As Krieger points out, whether these players deliver on Sunday or not, they are definitely delivering in the community.

Cutler and Marshall, joined by tight end Daniel Graham, distributed several hundred footballs and glossy Broncos photos, which kids from over 400 families brought up to the athletes to be autographed.