Santa Claus Came to Town

Pretty much every year that I was on the award-winning cable TV sports talk show Real Fans Real Talk, I dressed up as Santa Claus. Not only on the TV show, but to hand out toys to different kids in all different areas. The cable TV show started in the Bronx and one of these photos shows me handing out toys to the kids on a different producer’s TV show in the Bronx. The last year that I did it was on Christmas day 2018. We organized our annual NBA 2K tournament at the Barclays Center, and that year all the proceeds went to the charity Family on Three which decided to donate toys to children at a homeless shelter in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. After exchanging gifts with family on Christmas morning, I left Bay Ridge to drive to Brownsville so the kids can have a nice surprise on Christmas day. The kids were really thrilled. The most memorable moment for me was in the largest photo. Most kids ran towards the presents first and then came over to say hi to Santa. This kid came in and was so excited to see Santa. She then said can I give you a hug Santa? She gave me a hug and it was a very special moment for me. I’ve done a lot of charity work over the years for free but moments like that and seeing all the joy on the kids’ faces is truly priceless.