Anthony Black is eager to play.
At his AB Cares Kickball Tournament, he made sure to let us know that his kickball skills are "top tier." He played soccer and baseball before specializing in basketball. He has everything you could need -- IQ, the leg, the speed. So he is plenty capable of showing everyone up.
He would leave the kickball to the various teams that donated to his foundation to help fund scholarships for young athletes, as he continues to put down roots in Orlando, the community he has called home for the last three years, and his family is quickly getting more comfortable in.
Black is eager to get back to his day job as soon as he can.
"I'm feeling better every day," Black said during his charity kickball tournament. "It's something you have to take slow. I'm optimistic that I'll be able to make it back. Just doing everything I can, working every day in the facility to make sure I'm available when my team needs me."
Black will miss his eighth straight game with a left lateral abdominal strain on Saturday against the Los Angeles Lakers. It has been two weeks since he left the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves after taking an awkward hit early in the game.
Coach Jamahl Mosley said Tuesday before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder that Anthony Black has not returned to the court yet and was only doing light movements in the weight room.
The impression is that he will return before the end of the season. But he clearly still has hurdles to climb before he returns to the court. It will still be a few more games before that, it would appear.
It is a frustrating thing for a player noted for his durability throughout his career -- playing 69 and 78 games in his career with no major injuries -- to have to sit out such a critical part of the season with a random injury.
Not to mention it has been a breakout season for him, averaging 15.3 points per game and carrying the Magic through part of the season in December.
"It can be real frustrating," Black said Friday. "Obviously, it's a lot of fun watching us play. My teammates are doing a really good job. . . . But on the other hand, there is that sense of feeling a little helpless just watching the games and not being able to put your impact on them, but still being part of the team and taking the losses and wins hard.
"I'm trying to stay optimistic, I know it can be a lot worse. I'm trying to be there for my teammates and be a good teammate and be a locker room dude. And whenever I come back, hit the ground running."
Grounded in the community
Events like Anthony Black's kickball tournament on Friday have a bit of a grounding effect.
It reminds everyone what is most important in helping the next generation, something that Black has taken to with his charitable causes working with Boys and Girls Club and My Brother's Keeper, among other organizations.
It is one of the reasons he was awarded with the Rich and Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award this season.
Giving back was a value instilled in him early by his parents. His mother, Lauren Black, said they would spend each Sunday feeding the homeless. It is no surprise that Black has spent his time in the NBA spotlight giving back to his new community.
"I think, one, he is getting older and there is a maturity to that," Lauren Black said at the kickball tournament. "Because we've done this for such a long time, he doesn't like the gold star for doing this because we feel like this is just what you should do. My message to him is when you do things like this and you tell a story then other people want to jump and help as well. I'm very very proud of him."
Black's kickball tournament, the second year they held the tournament and the first in Orlando, had 200 people show up with about a dozen teams participating from early in the day Friday. Teammates Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter were among the players who showed up throughout the day.
Additionally, giveback and charitable programs are part of the conditions of the AAU teams he sponsors.
Black has worked hard to ingrain himself in the community, meet people and connect them to people in need.
Making the most of his situation
All of this is what his influence and position are really all about. As Anthony Black's mother put it, basketball is a gift and not who he is. It gives him the platform to give back.
And it is good perspective in the chaos of the season. Especially when he is dealing with an injury.
"The situation can always be worse," Black said at his kickball tournament. "This is an injury. But I can't say it enough, it could always be worse. I'm still blessed to come out here and make an impact, do different things in the community, meet different people. There are still ways to make an impact on the court or off the court. Just trying to figure that out for the time being."
Black is using his time well as he tries to recover from his injury. Everyone is eager to see him back, and he is eager to return to the court.
Black may be powerless to help his teammates on the court right now. But he is not powerless helping other or lending his support.