Wednesday provided an opportunity to see how both an NBA player and team can give back to the community. On David Lee’s first full day in the Bay Area, San Francisco owner Gavin Newsom declared it “David Lee Day,” including a ceremony at San Francisco City Hall.

However, David had more to do that day, as it was also the groundbreaking for a new basketball court at El Dorado Elementary School, a project that occurred with the leadership and input of the Good Tidings Foundation.

Over the past fifteen years, the Warriors and their players have built or rebuilt 45 different basketball courts in the Bay Area. The Warriors and Good Tidings choose projects both on their own and following requests from schools themselves.

As a part of the ceremony, Warriors legend Nate Thurmond talked about his own court dedication ten years ago near Golden Gate Park. Since then, Mr. Thurmond has been involved with the Good Tidings Foundation as an ambassador.

Ceremony Emcee (and another former Warrior) Jim Barnett discussed how it was “good to see young men carry on the tradition” of helping out the community.

Lee spoke about the importance of the work and expressed that he wanted “to go off on my own and make an impression on the community.” This project was just the start of that.

David also encouraged the school children to be well-rounded, as each of the speakers brought up the importance of physical activity for kids, especially of that age. He also talked about how hard work in the classroom can help on the court, as players he knew who were better than him ended up not getting the same opportunities because they couldn’t make grades or screwed up outside of the classroom and the court.

On a personal level, what made the experience a worthwhile one was the context surrounding it. The ceremony made it clear how important being a part of the community is and will be to Lee, which has an impact considering his six-year contract and pivotal place as one of the faces of the franchise for years to come. The fact that his father and girlfriend were there added some depth to the event as well, and let’s hope that Lee’s example rubs off on the team as a whole and that the Warriors can grow as a team on and off the court through improving the Bay Area and its schools one project at a time.