By Dan Savage
Feb. 8, 2016
ORLANDO – It’s one of those calls that some police officers would just shake their head at when they get the report from dispatch. Instead officer Bobby White did much more.
And on Sunday, the Magic joined in on the worldwide celebration of his actions by honoring him and the #HoopsNotCrime crew during Orlando's game against Atlanta.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the backstory, White, a Gainesville Police officer, recently made headlines when a video was recorded of him responding to a noise complaint in an inner-city neighborhood. What he discovered was a group of young men playing basketball in the street and decided that rather than scolding the boys, he would play some pick-up ball with them.
The police dashcam video that was taken that day was posted and went viral, receiving more than 14 million views.
“We’re going to let kids be kids. We are going to focus on the ones that commit crimes. #HoopsNotCrime,” Gainesville Police Department posted in the Facebook caption accompanying the video.
The story gained attention once again when White returned for a rematch with the kids and brought along Magic legend Shaquille O’Neal.
And the tale got even better on Sunday.
The Magic celebrated Officer White, the nine young men and their families along with two other GPD officers by picking them up in a chartered bus, bringing them to the game, providing them with courtside seats for warm-ups, giving them each a Magic basketball and arranging a meet-and-greet session with players such as Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton along with legends Nick Anderson, Bo Outlaw and Dominique Wilkins.
“This is what makes me happy that they’re getting to experience this,” White said.
While all the prior publicity was a phenomenal experience for the group, their excitement reached its peak during the game.
“They just couldn’t wait for this day,” White explained. “They’re just so excited. I don’t think any of them have ever been to any pro-sporting event. As you can see, they’re super excited.”
Smiles stretched across their faces as Oladipo and Payton came over to hand out basketballs, take photos and interact with the crew as they prepared to watch their first NBA game.
“Oladipo’s my boy, that’s my (NBA)2K player,” an excited member of the #HoopsNotCrime crew said. “It’s my first time really feeling the court, so it’s something new.”
The Magic also honored White as the Harris Hometown Hero and provided him with a $1,000 donation for GPD’s youth programs.
“It just keeps getting better and better for us,” he said.
Officer White was exactly right.
To cap off a perfect evening, Nikola Vucevic drilled a game-winning buzzer-beater that gave Orlando a victory and sent the whole crew into an exuberant celebration.
“The #HoopsNotCrime crew couldn't believe that #PureMagic @OrlandoMagic finish!,” Officer Ben Tobias tweeted following the game.
A fitting finish for an amazing story.