By Steve Shay

With the snip of a scissors the purple ribbon dropped and Brandon Roy basketball court was reborn Wednesday afternoon. The refurbished outdoor court, south of the Delridge Community Center, was once the healthy hangout for the Portland Trailblazer who fans call “Broy.” The court was renamed in his honor.

“It’s incredible to be back with my family,” said Roy, a 6-6 guard, following the ceremony. He was toting his 18 month-old son, Brandon Jr. “I’ve had so many memories from this court when I worked on my game. It feels great to be back at age 24 and to represent my community well.”

*This place means a lot to me and my family. I can remember my grandmother taking me over to Delridge CC and later lifting weights there for the first time. We spent countless hours at this court, it was our own KeyArena back in the day,* Said Roy. *To be in this position and remain a part of this community is really special for me and my family. Even though it*s just a court, we hope the kids in Delridge take pride in it and make it a special place for the top pick up games in the neighborhood. We could not have made this happen without the support of AT&T and Muscle Milk, two of my current partners. They have been tremendous to work with and we look forward to future community contributions.*

“I hope this is the start for many things to come,” said Dennis Cook, who shared the scissors with Roy and was key in updating the court. Cook is the citywide athletics manager for Parks and Recreation. “Nothing but positivity here,” he added. “This is great.”

This is not all that Brandon is doing to give back to the community. In May of 2008, The Brandon Roy Foundation was established with the goal of instilling confidence, determination and leadership in young people by offering support in education, life skills and athletics. ROY Court is a part of the foundation*s larger objective of providing underserved youth with adequate resources so that each child can maximize his or her potential to succeed and be a leader in our community.

Sponsors AT&T and Muscle Milk representatives and a small crowd were also on hand. For more information about Brandon Roy and his charity foundation go to: www.broy7.com