Nate McMillan Fan Favorite at Back to School Jam

Former N.C. State basketball standout and Raleigh native (Enloe High) Nate McMillan was in town showing the same high character that N.C. State fans have come to love and appreciate over the years. The 12 year NBA veteran and 2nd round pick in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Seattle Supersonics who later coached the Supersonics and Portland Trailblazers spent Saturday, August 9, 2014 giving back to the community as he participated in the Lion’s Park Back to School Jam & Book Bag Giveaway.

KCSSU Director Kevin Bobbitt, Gary Payton, Meshareese Crowder and Nate McMillan

The event was sponsored by Kemetic Cultural Science and System of Unity or KCSSU, a non-profit charitable organization whose mission is to raise youth awareness from a spiritual, mental, psychological and physical perspective. Saturday’s event, held at Lions Park Community Center in southeast Raleigh, was a resounding success according to center director Christie Jones. CEO Kevin Bobbitt, proudly told Old North Banter how his organization (KCSSU) improved upon last year’s giveaway by distributing t-shirts, book bags filled with spiral notebooks, folders, pencils and crayons to the 500 children in attendance and other goodies to the approximately 800 total who braved the rainy weather to see McMillan and his special guest: Seattle Supersonic teammate and Hall of Famer Gary Payton. Both played together for many years at the guard position in Seattle.

McMillan, who also attended last year’s event, related how he grew up in these same neighborhoods and never envisioned playing NBA basketball. Bobbitt said McMillan explained to the children the value of making the right choices and gave an encouraging message of hope and inspiration. According to Bobbitt, McMillan was “at a loss for words” at the amount of people who came out. McMillan expected only 50 or so to show up.