GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A Florida police officer is back in the spotlight for yet another act of kindness.
Gainesville, Florida Police Officer Bobby White first warmed the nation’s hearts when he responded to a noise complaint by playing basketball with a group of neighborhood kids instead of reprimanding them. The dashcam video of him playing went viral, along with the hashtag #hoopsnotcrime.
That act of kindness also got the attention of basketball legend, Shaquille O’Neal, who not only played a game of pick-up basketball with the kids but also took arranged for them to attend an Orlando Magic game.
Soon after, Officer White started a foundation called the Basketball Cop Foundation. He is on a mission to collect donated basketballs and portable hoops for neighborhood kids. He’s already donated new hoops and basketballs to a handful of kids and a brand new portable hoop to a family that lost all of their Christmas gifts this past Christmas Eve.
Officer White says his plan is simple, “We identify a place where basketball can be a tool and a resource for neighborhood youth, and your donations help fund it.”
Most recently, Officer White surprised the original group of #hoopsnotcrime kids with a brand new backyard basketball court and a surprise visit by Harlem Globetrotter Buckets Blakes.