This incontrovertible theory was amply proven once again as hundreds of kids of all ages lined up for New York Knicks guard Jamal Crawford’s fund raising event at Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue Build-A-Bear Store. A few months ago, Crawford visited P.S. 58 in the Bronx through PENCIL’s (Public Education Needs Civic Involvement in Learning) highly successful “Principal For a Day” program where he learned that “the school didn’t have a very well-functioning library at all. Reading is very important -- and they were wonderful kids so I could not stand still for that. Hey, bears are cuddly and kids love them. So I thought this would be a real fun and exciting way to raise some money for the library.”

It was money in the bank, in fact: Crawford has done a Build-a-Bear event in his native Seattle some years back so he was well aware that people will be attracted like bears to honey to all that cute-ness. And that few would be able to resist the back court combination of bears and Crawford.

Though the line to Jamal was practically never-ending, no one was more excited than third--grader Lori Vazquez from P.S. 58. But, wait, what was wrong with this picture? Lori was holding a huge BUNNY. She also had a plan: “I’m going to buy her slippers and Jamal will autograph her tummy.” (At Build-a-Bear you can apparently also build bunnies, cows, kitties, dogs, or pretty much whatever animal your little heart desires.)

“I’m not sure I can express how much the children were looking forward to this,” P.S. 58 Reading Specialist Elizabeth Hoolan, who brought five kids from the school, said. “Lori has never even been on the Subway before -- her family can’t afford the trip.”

As far as the library “we just don’t have enough books in different genres the kids could get interested in,” said Hoolan. “And if they don’t find their genre, they just don’t read. What Jamal is doing for us gives us a much greater variety. This will change children’s lives, quite literally. We are so grateful.”

The kids -- and the bears, most of them dressed in Knicks uniforms -- just kept on coming. The terrific trio of Rocco, Vito and Vincent Ruggiero (three year old twins and big brother, five) shyly told Jamal that he was their “favorite Knick because he scores so much.” Five-year-old Channing asked Crawford if he could tell Channing Frye she “loves him because they have the same name.” Six-year old Courtney Brown asked Jamal why he blows on his hand before every foul shot. “To keep my fingers warm,” Jamal smiled and gave her a hug. “Thanks for noticing.”

Grant Goldman, 12, kept on saying “amazing”. “Jamal’s amazing -- that 52 point game,” he gasped. “I’m an amazingly huge Knick fan, I‘ve been ever since I was amazingly young like 5 or 6. They are getting better. To the playoffs, dude!”

Friends Tal Ohama (15), Yitz Yhakoubovich (17), Joey Aliezir (16) and Joey Zirdok (16) couldn’t agree more. “That’s the best player in the NBA, right there!” shouted Tal. “And a nice guy, too. We’ll see you in he playoffs, Jamal. But, first, we’ll see you tomorrow night.” At Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks played against the L. A. Clippers -- and where a bear personally built by Jamal Crawford was auctioned off to benefit P. S. 58.