Print RSS Feeds FastBreak Tix

November 26, 2008

Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Redd maintained a Thanksgiving tradition Nov. 20, when for the fourth straight year he distributed 150 Thanksgiving dinners to Milwaukee area families.
 
Redd purchased and distributed 2,800 pounds of turkeys and the traditional fixings at the House of Peace Community Center.
 
Earlier the same day, Redd and his Bucks teammates presented a "Read to Achieve" event at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Bucks players and coaches read with the over 1,000 Milwaukee Public School students.
 
The Bucks will spend the majority of their Thanksgiving week on the road, but before leaving for Charlotte on the night of Nov. 21, several of the players paused to share what they are most thankful for this year. Some also expressed their gratitude and excitement to be a part of an improving Milwaukee ballclub:
 

Ramon Sessions
"Definitely having another year in the NBA. That's not guaranteed, especially for someone in my situation ... so just being here again."
"When you think about the whole thing -- late second-round pick, nothing guaranteed, had to work for it ... just being in the NBA is a blessing to me."


Malik Allen
"I'm thankful just to be here. These are tough economic times. I think we should all feel pretty fortunate that we have the job that we do, considering the state of the country and the economy at this time. We're fortunate to have what we have being in the league we're in.
"And for the group that we have here, we have our ups and downs, but for us, the games we have played well have been very positive. We've shown a lot of fight. We've been down and come back. So I think our character is continuing to grow. We're still getting to know each other and learn how to play hard as a unit, but the character and effort are there. The want to win is there, which is the big thing."


Joe Alexander
"I'm thankful for my teammates. I'm thankful for my family. And my health."

 
Richard Jefferson
"I am most thankful for everyone I know being healthy.
"I'm insanely optimistic about the way things are heading here. When everyone's healthy, what can go wrong?"

 
Tyronn Lue
"Health, because I've been hurt the last couple of years. Fortunately I've been healthy for awhile, so I'm thankful for that.
"I think we have a lot of potential. We've had Michael Redd and Charlie V. out. Once we get the whole team back, I think we can be a pretty good team together.
"Every night, we come out and play hard and compete. If we do that every night and leave it all out there, you can live with the results. Sometimes we hit stretches where we're not scoring, but we're playing great defense, and that's gotten us back in games when we were down 12, 13 points. I think once we overcome those scoring droughts, we'll be fine."


Austin Croshere
"My family. Our third child, a daughter, was born this past year. It's been a blessing. I have a lot to be thankful for.
"They (his wife and children) will be here soon. With the timing of everything, it's been kind of hard. But we've finally got a place to live, and we're in the process of getting ourselves moved in. After our next road trip, they will come into town." 


Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
"My family, because they've always supported me. They've always been there for me. I don't have a chance to be around them much because I'm overseas. I don't see them often. But I'm very fortunate and thankful to have them.
"I think they watch some of my games back home, maybe on the Internet. I have seven siblings. It would be cool to be over there with all of them. We haven't been together for about eight years. They have all left the house, so it's been awhile since we were all back home."


Michael Redd
"I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful for my wife and my son. Being around them as much as I can has been a blessing -- just enjoying their presence and watching my son grow up. He's doing great, man. He's just tearing the house up. The Lord has allowed him to be a boy growing up, having fun, and my wife and I are delighted to be his parents. So I'm grateful for family."

 
Luke Ridnour
"Oh, my wife and I are expecting a baby. We found out right around the time I was traded. So it was like a double blessing. I'm thankful that my wife is healthy, and that the baby has been healthy so far, so that would be it.
"We love it here. It's been nice to see blue sky. It might be cold outside, but it's nice to at least see the blue sky and sunshine. It's nice."

 
Charlie Villanueva
"I'm most thankful for being in the NBA. That's huge. I'm thankful for all I have. I'm one of those guys who's thankful for where I'm at and what I have. I don't worry about what I don't have. I'm happy with what I have."