INSIDE

Grueling doesn’t begin to cover it. In the month of January alone, the Knicks played 17 games, eight of which were away games. That means when they’re not playing, they’re usually flying. Typically, which means no lockout, the season runs October to May. Coaches spend summers working on NBA draft picks, and this summer, Mike is headed to London for the Summer Olympics where he’ll be coaching Team USA for the second time. Surely you must take some time off for vacations, I ask.  Remarkably, the answer is no – unless, of course, you count that one time the two ran off to Turks and Caicos for three or four days.

With the recent NBA lockout, Mike was able to spend time with his son and had the rare opportunity to watch him play basketball for his high school team.

“This is Michael’s junior year, so the timing was perfect in that respect,” he says. As much as Mike enjoyed spending time with his family during the lockout, he was ready to get back to coaching.

“We were anxious. We liked our team and we wanted to get started.”

Growing up in the small town of Mullens, W.Va., Mike recalls how everyone looked after one another. And even though Laurel grew up in bigger cities such as San Diego, Seattle and Puerto Rico, the two were raised with the belief that “you have an obligation to your community.” Laurel goes on to explain, “It’s not just an obligation. It’s a natural desire to help.”

This core belief is what has led them to their extensive charity work. Using their celebrity, they have been able to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for many worthy causes. 

“We’ve found that with basketball, it’s a great platform to bring visibility to certain nonprofits that don’t have the funds to hire the PR firms,” Laurel says.

One such charity is Port Chester’s Carver Center, which since 1943 has been offering educational, recreational, cultural and civic services for individuals and families, with a particular focus on meeting the needs of underprivileged youth.

For the past three years, Mike has been able to rally his coaches and players to lend a helping hand for Thanksgiving simply by saying, “We want to feed 150 families. Will you come out and do this?”  Not one person turned him down.

“The Knicks’ coaches are all in attendance and help bag and distribute dinners to the families. They create such a fun and festive atmosphere for the event, decorating the gym with balloons and Knicks-themed decor,” says Elizabeth Cook, the Carver Center’s development director.