Orlando Magic celebrate reading with Orange County kids, Cole Anthony signs extension
ORLANDO, FL – On the day before opening it’s 2023-24 season, the Orlando Magic hosted 4,000 fourth and fifth graders to the Amway Center to celebrate with the Play, Read, and Roll event that stresses the importance of reading.
Orlando Magic game hosts DJ D-Strong and Kory ran the show with the kids, keeping the energy up with music, fan dances, and videos of Magic players playing games on the center court screens.
Orlando Magic players also attended the event and talked about the importance of reading to them. Mo Wagner seems to be the most avid reader of the group, but many of the players favorite books resulted in cheers from the kids in the crowd.
The players, including Franz and Moritz Wager, Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris, Kelvin Harris, Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony and more, Jonathan Isaac made a point to point out that Teammate Chuma Okeke loved to read out loud.
The Hosts handed Chuma a book to read, but he had to Rae it ti a beat. Okeke accepted the challenge.
AS the beat started Chuma easily showed of his rap skills, going through the beat page by page, getting cheers from the kids.
The kids yelled out an authentic “Thank You” to the players and shouted “Go Magic!” as they said farewell.
Cole Anthony Extends Contract
The Orlando Magic and guard Cole Anthony agreed to a three-year, $39 million contract extension Monday afternoon, his agents Jeff Schwartz and Javon Phillips from Excel Sports Management told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Anthony, 23, averaged 13 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists last season for Orlando across 60 games, shooting career-highs of 45.4% overall and 36.4% from 3-point range as he primarily operated as a sixth man off the bench for a young, rising Magic squad under coach Jamahl Mosley.
His 13 points per game ranked in the top 10 among players to come off the bench in 40 or more games last season, per ESPN’s Stats & Information research.
