Anthony Black making Orlando his home on and off the court

When Anthony Black visited the Boys and Girls Club earlier this year to present a check for $10,000 alongside Planet Fitness, he was not too far removed from being one of the very kids who walked through those halls after school.

Black was drafted after one year at Arkansas and was in his third year in the NBA. He would be the senior that freshmen are looking up to in college. He is not too far removed from being in high school.

Black still looks more at home with kids. But even they can roast him as a bit out of touch with the older generation. He is, after all, an NBA player on the verge of finding a permanent spot in the league after a breakout 2026 season.

This is a young man coming into his own, not a boy fresh out of high school or college.

This has been a year about his coming into his own as a young man and a player in the NBA.

Giving back is among the many ways Black has matured throughout the year. This has been a year where Black has found his home.

The afternoon at the Boys and Girls Club was one of the many ways Black gave back to his newfound community. He was named the recipient of the Rich and Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award on Saturday.

"It's a big honor. Just helping out is something that is important to me and my family," Black said after receiving the award Saturday. "I know my teammates are into it as well. Just getting an award, knowing how much everybody does, puts me with selective people. It means a lot."

Black's community efforts

Anthony Black founded AB Cares as a way to give back to programs focused on sports-based mentorship and academic support. In addition to the Boys and Girls Club event, Black has hosted students at Orlando Magic games.

He and his family also gave out meals to unhoused residents in Lake Eola. He also hosted an event at a Magic game for My Brother's Keeper, which provides professional clothing for young men in underserved communities.

Black has had his hands in a lot of different areas throughout Central Florida. It is one of the ways he has found his voice.

Black credits his mother for inspiring him to give back to the community.

But the variety of programs speaks to how much Black is trying to use that voice and finding comfort in Orlando. Black said that after three years in Orlando, he is starting to feel more comfortable in Orlando. This is starting to feel like home.

"Especially just the last year, feeling more settled in and kind of knowing the ins and outs and what I'm doing. It's starting to feel a lot like home," Black said after receiving the award Saturday. "Even having all of these events, knowing more people and seeing people more frequently, it just inclines me to do stuff to give back. I know there are a lot of people in the community that invest in me, my teammates and the Magic. I feel like it's kind of our job to give back."

Black has certainly started to look that way on the court.

He has put himself in the conversation for Most Improved Player by averaging 15.7 points per game and shooting 34.3 percent from three. He has had breakout games too, posting two 30-point games for the first time in his career. That included a 38-point effort in a win over the Denver Nuggets in December.

He had, perhaps, the highlight of the year with his dunk against the Memphis Grizzlies in Berlin that broke a tie game with two minutes and put four Grizzlies on a poster.

Black has been a revelation for the Magic. And that has only added to the anticipation for his growth as he continues to blossom in his career.

A team-wide effort

Anthony Black was not the only player recognized.

The other finalists for the award included Paolo Banchero, who continues to do work with the Boys and Girls Club in Central Florida and throughout the nation; Wendell Carter, whose A Platform Squared continues to sponsor aviation education and serve underserved youth; and Franz and Moe Wagner for their efforts in the community and beyond, including a Christmas gift -giving program.

Black is not alone in making Orlando a home and giving back to the community.

"It's always been very important to my parents. That's just what they believe in all things we're involved," Orlando Magic chairman Dan DeVos said. "We try to create the opportunities for people that we work with every day to get involved and do something different and give back in a different way because of their stature and because of their ability. It has been very rewarding for our family to see this happen for so many years with so many players who give back."

The work off the court has always been a goal for the DeVos family. They want the Magic to be an inspiration in the community off the court as much as on the court.

The Magic's Wine Festival and Auction is their chance to recognize the work the players do in the community and to raise money for the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation, which distributes funds for charities serving underserved youth in Central Florida.

Last year, the event brought in more than $2 million with the hope that this year's event will top that mark. The Magic have donated more than $31 million in the past 36 years through the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation.

Work on the court

There is, of course, still work to do on the court. The Magic are trying to fight their way out of the Play-In and back into the Playoffs. They have their work cut out for them in that process. But the Magic have started to pull more things together after a frustrating start to their season.

Anthony Black will play a big role in getting them there, whether he remains a starter or moves off the bench when Franz Wagner is healthy.

And he will have a big decision this offseason when he is extension eligible and can make Orlando an even bigger home.

But even in a season that has faced a lot of adversity, Black is a success story for the Magic. And someone who is making himself at home in Orlando.