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Golden State Warriors guard and former Arkansas Razorback Moses Moody was back in his hometown of Little Rock on Wednesday to kick off his annual Motivation One Foundation Summer Series.
The series features four days of events in the metro area, with a community food distribution commencing the activities Wednesday morning at the Watershed Family Resource Center on the city's east side.
The Motivation One Foundation partnered with the Convoy of Hope nonprofit humanitarian organization to provide groceries and household essentials to thousands of local families. The strong turnout was evident by the traffic jam lining Springer Boulevard throughout much of the morning as community members waited their turn to access the resources.
"It's cool being here, it's cool seeing everybody coming through," Moody said. "The line is around the corner. Just having my family out here, my friends, everybody just being able to give back. It's a mutual benefit for them getting the food and for us being able to do it."
Moody prepped at Little Rock Parkview as a freshman before transferring to North Little Rock for his sophomore season. He led the Charging Wildcats to a Class 7A state championship in 2018. He spent his final two high school seasons at Montverde Academy in Florida, where he helped the program to a perfect 25-0 record and No. 1 national ranking as a senior.
Moody spent just one year at the University of Arkansas in 2020-21, averaging 16.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors. Golden State selected Moody with the 14th overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft and won an NBA championship during his rookie season. The 24-year-old tore the patellar tendon in his left knee on a dunk attempt during an overtime victory over Dallas on March 23, cutting his fifth season in the league short.
Despite his basketball journey taking him to California as a professional, Moody makes a point to come back to Little Rock each offseason to give back to the community where he resided throughout his childhood.
"It means something to be doing that in my community too because some of these people that's in the line are my family," Moody said. "My auntie came and she was in the line. Just being able to do that and give to the community that made me and raised me, it's special."
Stephen Curry, a two-time league MVP and the NBA's record-holder for most made three-pointers, is set to appear this year. Golden State forward Draymond Green attended the summer series in 2025.
Following a youth golf clinic from 1-3 p.m. Thursday at the North Shore Driving Range, there will be a golf tournament beginning at 7 a.m Friday at the Maumelle County Club.
Curry is expected to participate in the tournament. Later Friday evening, Moody and Curry will participate in a "fireside chat" at the Statehouse Convention Center. That event is set for 7 p.m. and will be preceded at 5:30 p.m. by a VIP Mixer in the Riverview Room at the Little Rock Marriott.
"It's cool because I think about when I was a kid, Stephen Curry never came to Little Rock," Moody said. "I never got to see him. No LeBron (James), all these top players. ... I'm just thinking about something I would have loved to have had when I was a kid and providing that for the young people today."
Saturday will feature a pair of youth basketball camps set for the morning hours at North Little Rock High School. The Moses Moody Day Summit will be the final event of the series and will include workshops, guest speakers and hands-on activities for participants aged 16-25. Ticketing and more information regarding all of the week's events is available at mosesmoody.com.
"The big purpose of those (events) is giving that access to (Curry) to have that same effect for the young people that only see me and him on the TV screen," Moody said. "We seem so far away, but just being able to have access to us, ask questions, talk, touch, be right there. I think that can definitely do something."
Michael Harley
mharley@adgnewsroom.com
Michael Harley covers various athletics at Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He also covers the AA Arkansas Travelers minor league baseball team and area high school athletics around the region. Michael makes a weekly appearances on 95.3-FM The Ticket in Jonesboro during the football season, as well as guest appearances on FOX 16 sports in Little Rock.