The signs that the NBA season is approaching are rolling in. The weather offered one of them on Sept. 23.
Temperatures took a noticeable dip as fall has officially arrived, with the wind blowing at Morris Park and many people sporting jackets.
Memphis Grizzlies players were there, too.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Taylor Hendricks joined Grizzlies employees at the park for a Grizz Take Action Day of Service event, where they served meals and packaged hygiene kits for people experiencing homelessness in downtown Memphis.
For players like Prosper and Hendricks, events such as these are another reminder that the start of the NBA season is getting closer.
“Just being around these people and seeing how much they love us, it makes me want to play even harder
for them and get some wins for them so they can come out to more games and everything,” Hendricks said.
The Grizzlies reached their goal of assembling 1,500 hygiene kits and serving 400 meals. Several resource tents were also available, including representatives from public health, the medical district and hospitality hubs.
Hendricks and Prosper are no strangers to serving their communities. Both said they developed a passion for giving back long before joining the Grizzlies.
Hendricks said his came from his mother and his faith. He participated in several community events as a youth through his church.
“Always giving back is something that helps the community build,” he said. “Any way we can do that, we’re going to do it.”
Prosper can remember the exact moment he had his “introduction to giving back.”
He estimated he was about 12 or 13 years old, and would donate his old shoes and basketball gear to people in Montreal who were less fortunate.
“Just doing that as a young kid, it meant the world to me,” he said. “To be able to do that and keep doing that here in a community that I’ve grown to know a lot, it means the world.”
'Tis the season
Prosper and Hendricks will soon join their teammates for the next phase of the preseason.
Media day is Sept. 28, followed by training camp at Belmont University in Nashville from Sept. 29 through Oct. 2.
That will mark the official gathering of the team, but many Grizzlies players already have started working out together. Those moments are important for a team expected to be one of the youngest in the NBA.
“We have a great locker room,” Hendricks said. “We have a group of great guys with great values. Even off the court, it’s great vibes and good influences.”
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Fall weather, community service signal Grizzlies season is near
