MADISON – After Nick Boyd literally scored 12 points in Wisconsin’s win over Central Michigan at the Kohl Center, the Badgers’ starting point guard perhaps scored even more figurative points with the community.
As Christmas music played through the speakers in the adjacent Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion, Boyd signed everything from Santa hats to shoes and asked children in the line questions like if they were ready for Christmas.
“There was one kid who kept coming back and asking me for autographs on his arm, his shoes,” Boyd said. “That was pretty funny.”
The humorous and heartwarming moment was part of Boyd’s efforts in the holiday season to share some of his resources from playing high-major college basketball with those who may be less fortunate.
Boyd gifted Wisconsin jackets at his own expense to children from the Madison area along with autographs and Santa hats that had his name and jersey number on them. The Boys and Girls Club of Dane County was represented along with a couple youth basketball leagues, Boyd said.
“I wanted to make an impact in Madison,” Boyd said while wearing one of the Santa hats. “I’m somebody who’s new. Let them know how them coming out to the games and the community – how important that is to keep us rolling and try to have a great year this year.”
Boyd also bought the children – “a lot of kids who’ve never been to a Division I basketball game before” – tickets for the Badgers’ 88-61 win over Central Michigan. There were 30 kids and 50 total people when counting accompanying adults in the Boyd-funded seats, according to a team spokesman.
“I tried to put myself in their shoes,” Boyd said. “When I was a kid and my first time coming to a college basketball game, I know my eyes were wide open. And on top of that, to meet the players is just inspiring. … Topping it off with a jacket was awesome.”
It is part of Boyd’s ongoing efforts to give back in his sixth season of college basketball. During the offseason, Boyd hosted a free youth basketball camp in Boca Raton, Florida. Each attendee received a T-shirt, autographed item and lunch during the three-hour camp.
It was held at Boca Raton Community High School, which was walking distance from where his college basketball journey began. Boyd’s first four years were at Florida Atlantic, where he was a key part of the Owls’ improbable 2023 Final Four run.
“There were 100-plus kids in there, which was awesome,” Boyd said. “A place that’s special to me – I was able to have a lot of success there down at FAU.”
Fast-forward to Boyd’s charitable efforts in Madison, and the tickets and jackets were “the best way to do it with the reason right in full swing.”
“My uncle came up with the jacket idea,” Boyd said. “The jackets come in handy. I grabbed one for myself, I ain’t going to lie.”
The jackets came in various colors and had Wisconsin’s iconic motion W logo on the right side and the Under Armour logo on the left.
“We were just thinking, ‘Did we want to put my name on it?’” Boyd said. “What’s most impactful in the community? Just giving them a jacket they could wear with the W – you know how much Wisconsin means to the Madison community. So that’s what we came up with.”
Nick Boyd made the jackets through his uncle’s contact at Under Armour rather than using the team’s connections as one of the apparel provider’s top college programs.
“My uncle’s a basketball coach,” Boyd said. “He has a basketball team, so they buy Under Armour gear for their team. And he was like, ‘Hey, I can get in touch with Under Armour, and we can try to get some jackets made?’”
Boyd wants to have two charitable events each year – the basketball camp and the jackets were this year’s events – as the former FAU/San Diego State standout has more resources to share now that he has a prominent role on a Big Ten team in the name, image, likeness (NIL) and revenue-sharing era.
“I wasn’t as fortunate as I was to be in this NIL space my previous years,” Boyd said. “But as I’ve grown in the ranks, that’s been something that’s important to me. Now, I was fortunate enough to have God bless me with the opportunity to come here, play at the highest level. And with that, comes NIL.”
In Boyd’s case, that comes with jackets, too.
“Giving back as much as I can is most important, especially around this time of year,” Boyd said.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin’s Nick Boyd gifts jackets to Madison youth ahead of Christmas
Reporting by John Steppe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
