Cole Anthony's Bowling Fundraiser is Magic Guard's Latest 'Passion Project'

Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony, through his co-founded 50 Ways Foundation, put on his second annual bowling fundraiser benefitting his foundation Sunday night in Orlando.

Magic guard Cole Anthony held his second annual 50 Ways to 300 Bowling Fundraiser on Sunday evening. | Mason Williams, Magic on SI

ORLANDO, Fla. – Cole Anthony sported his usual smile that reflected his atmosphere.

The Orlando Magic guard peered out over his second annual 50 Ways to 300 bowling fundraiser, an event aimed to help raise funds to support the 50 Ways Foundation, which he co-founded with his right-hand man and best friend, Bryce Council.

What he saw was a room full of excitement. Loud music, spun by a live DJ, blared throughout the entertainment facility as numerous patrons enjoyed a fun-filled evening of bowling and other games, a silent auction and more.

Most importantly, it was all for a good cause. That, at the heart of the equally fun and philanthropic event, is what Anthony, Council and company were truly after.

"It's something that means a lot to not just myself, but my co-founder, Bryce," Anthony said Sunday. "We care a lot about kids [and] the community, so for us, we wanted to find a way to give back in Orlando. Obviously, we do a lot of stuff in New York where we are from.

"It's really dope to see all the people that come out ... not just support my foundation, but support me, support Bryce. It's really telling of all the relationships we've made since we've been here, to see this many people show up."

Giving back to the region the Magic call home is deeply embedded in the franchise's values. To that point, it shouldn't come as a surprise that many of Anthony's teammates and coaches – Gary Harris, Cory Joseph, Caleb Houstan, Franz Wagner, coach Jamahl Mosley and assistant coach Randy Gregory, and others – also joined in the celebration.

"I love my team, man," Anthony said. "They always look out for me, I'm always going to look out for them."

Anthony, however, is perhaps Orlando's greatest steward of the team's philosophy toward giving back.

The fifth-year pro had the importance of giving back instilled in him early in life. With his 25th birthday coming up in just over a month, doing so is still one of Anthony's core activities.

He and Council's foundation raised $20,000 at last year's bowling event alone, which went toward benefitting local organizations supporting and assisting at-risk youth in Orlando.

Teams that competed in the bowling portion of the event pledged a minimum donation to play. With a larger facility this year offering more teams the ability to participate, that correlates to a greater turnout and, thus, more direct proceeds for the organization to continue doing it's work.

In the past year, the 50 Ways Foundation has held back-to-school drives, supported trunk-or-treat endeavors, distributed Thanksgiving dinners to underserved families, and held his second annual "A Cole Christmas" holiday party.

Before the season, in New York, the foundation put on its fifth-annual charity weekend, which included a financial literacy and leadership event named "The Playbook" for up-and-coming athletes, a comedy show fundraiser, a Pro-Am game, and a back-to-school drive of its own.

Anthony and Council's foundation is no stranger to tapping into his philanthropic ventures. For Anthony's efforts, he's previously been awarded the Magic's yearly community award, the Rich and Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award, and was named the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award winner for October.

"For us, it's really more of a passion project," Anthony said. "We both have a lot of perspective growing up in New York. We had a lot of people growing up around us that were less fortunate.

"We've come a long way with the foundation, so I'm really happy with where we're at."

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