Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown shoots during the second annual 3-point Showcase at the Martin Luther King Jr. School in Atlantic City.
Matthew Strabuk, Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown meets 89-year-old city resident and longtime season ticket holder Ron Jordan on Wednesday night at the Atlantic City 3-point Showcase at the Martin Luther King Jr. School Complex.
JOHN RUSSO, Staff Writer
Nazim Derry, a 2019 ACHS graduate who just wrapped up a stellar season at NCAA Division II Goldey-Beacom College three weeks ago, won the competition with 23 points in the final.
Matthew Strabuk, Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown with 12-year-old Loyalty Ford, of Atlantic City, who won Brown's signed jersey from Wednesday night's 3-point Showcase.
ATLANTIC CITY — Don’t worry, 76ers fans, A.J. Brown plans to stick with catching passes from Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia.
The Eagles’ All-Pro wide receiver made a guest appearance Wednesday night and shot some 3-pointers at the second annual 3-point Showcase at the Martin Luther King Jr. School Complex on Marmora Avenue.
Rolling up to the campus with Mayor Marty Small Sr., Brown joked before heading inside the gymnasium that he hoped to not embarrass himself on the basketball court.
Still, he scored a respectable 11 points — matching his jersey number — while going into the event cold.
“I don’t shoot basketball every day,” he said with a smile after. “I run routes and catch footballs for a living.”
Draining as many 3s as possible wasn’t what Wednesday night was all about. Small, the city’s Director of Recreation Mike Griffin, and many others expressed their gratitude for Brown showing up, taking photos, signing some jerseys and leaving a lasting impression on the hundreds of young fans who turned up for the showcase.
“I don’t think it’s about me. It’s about the mayor, and I just wanted to support the city,” Brown said during a break from Wednesday’s friendly competition. “He’s a big fan of ours, and I just wanted to give back to the city of Philadelphia and the city of Atlantic City.”
Brown received a huge ovation from the several hundred people in attendance for the free event. One of the first people Small introduced Brown to was lifetime Atlantic City resident Ron Jordan, who was sitting in the front row in an Eagles jersey. Brown embraced Jordan, exchanging some words for several moments.
Mayor Marty Small Sr., in a social media post at the end of February, said renovations at the historic stadium will begin in April.
“I am a 58-year season ticket holder. I came here for that,” said Jordan, 89.
The contest featured 12 shooters, many of them Atlantic City High School legends — Issa Baker, Ray Bethea, Donte Thompson, Mikel Jones, Shaheed Black, Wayne Nelson, Nazim Derry, Tariq Chapman, Julia Marigliano and Tory Cavalieri. Philadelphia comedian Bubba Dub also participated.
Derry, a 2019 ACHS graduate who just wrapped up a stellar season at NCAA Division II Goldey-Beacom College three weeks ago, won the competition with 23 points in the final, just edging out Nelson (22 points), the Atlantic City boys basketball coach, and Black (21 points), a Vineland High School alumnus.
“It was a great experience and good for the community,” Derry said. “I saw a lot of people came out. It was a really good event, no drama. Just a really good event. A lot of kids got a lot of stuff donated. It was a success.”
Those who showed up got free T-shirts plus a raffle ticket for an opportunity to win several prizes. A few honors were presented to longtime city residents and educators, as well as a donation to the youth dance team Hot Topic, which performed before the contest began.
The first showcase was held as a holiday event in December 2022, which included a celebrity appearance from Philadelphia rapper Gillie Da Kid. Griffin wanted to take the second event to the next level.
“We couldn’t bring it back without having another celebrity,” Griffin said. “Mayor Small made some things happen, and we got a comedian who is a rising star on social media, and the Eagles’ top dog. So I’m very happy about the turnout, very happy about the kids’ excitement and looking forward to 2025. I don’t know how we’re gonna top this one.”
Small, who is a huge Eagles fan, gave all the credit to the Recreation Department for Wednesday’s event.
“It was a lovefest,” Small said of the crowd’s reaction to Brown. “My love for the Birds, and A.J. Brown agreed to do this. We just couldn’t be more happy.”
When the competition was over, Brown took off the No. 11 jersey he wore and signed it for the free raffle held just for the kids in attendance. Twelve-year-old city resident Loyalty Ford was the lucky winner.
“It’s always a blessing, just to see the kids’ reaction and putting a smile on a kid’s face,” Brown said. “Just being around, my presence, it goes a long way, and I don’t take it for granted.”
With the Eagles in the middle of their offseason, Brown was relishing the opportunity to relax and enjoy himself Wednesday, he said. He couldn’t avoid questions about Philadelphia’s very busy offseason, especially the acquisition of running back Saquon Barkley.
“He’s gonna help us out tremendously,” Brown said of the former New York Giants star. “I’m excited. I kinda knew him already, but I’m excited to get into the building with him and go to work with him.”
GALLERY: 3-point Showcase event at the MLK Jr. School Complex
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Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown shoots during the second annual 3-point Showcase at the Martin Luther King Jr. School in Atlantic City.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown meets 89-year-old city resident and longtime season ticket holder Ron Jordan on Wednesday night at the Atlantic City 3-point Showcase at the Martin Luther King Jr. School Complex.
Nazim Derry, a 2019 ACHS graduate who just wrapped up a stellar season at NCAA Division II Goldey-Beacom College three weeks ago, won the competition with 23 points in the final.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown with 12-year-old Loyalty Ford, of Atlantic City, who won Brown's signed jersey from Wednesday night's 3-point Showcase.
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Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.