Elton Brand Donates Shoes to Peekskill Basketball Teams
Adam Stone
Elton Brand Donates Shoes to Peekskill Basketball Teams
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As the winter basketball season gets well underway, the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams at Peekskill High School have received a special holiday gift: new basketball sneakers for every player donated by National Basketball Association star Elton Brand.

Brand, who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, graduated from Peekskill High School in 1997, after leading Peekskill to two state championships. He was a star player for Duke University and was drafted number one overall by the Chicago Bulls in 1999. After successful seasons with the Bulls and the Los Angeles Clippers, Brand joined the 76ers in 2008, where he plays the power forward position.

Through his Elton Brand Foundation, the Peekskill High School alumnus has always helped support young people in Peekskill, including the Elton Brand Academy, an after-school tutoring program, and scholarships awarded to Peekskill High School graduates. He began giving new basketball sneakers to the varsity teams ten years ago, and his generosity is a much-valued tradition.

“The shoes mean a lot to us,” senior Bayron Carter said. “They mean someone believes in us.”

This year, the boys’ varsity team received Nike Jordans in the traditional red and white for Peekskill; the girls—New York State’s reigning state champions—also received Nikes.

“I guess he thinks we’ll go all the way to the championships again this year,” senior Dottie Bradshaw said.

The shoe distribution is coordinated by Peekskill staffers Edward “Pete” Peterson and Gary Male, working with Robert Evans assisting Mr. Brand.

“Elton has always been a generous and caring person, a true gentleman. We all appreciate what he does for our students,” said Peekskill Athletic Director and basketball coach Lou Panzanaro, who coached Brand as a student and currently coaches the boys’ varsity team.

“For both our varsity teams, Elton is a great role model,” Lady Red Devils Coach Rodney Hedley Jr. This past fall, Panzanaro welcomed Elton Brand into the Peekskill Athletic Hall of Fame.