Magic's Wendell Carter Jr. hosts Topgolf fundraiser for STEM aviation program

ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr.’s non-profit foundation A Platform Squared held a special fundraising event at Topgolf. In attendance were Magic players, coaches, and plenty of others to support Carter as he raised money for his non-profit’s STEM aviation program.

"It’s something that always makes me happy. Of course, I’m an NBA player, I want to go out there and play basketball. But this also gives me a smile, being able to know that, going to sleep at night knowing that I may have helped lead a kid or two or three or four, whatever the case may be," Carter said.

"STEM and aviation and engineering – those are areas where minorities are not fond most often. So with us being able to connect to that so well, I think it’s just a win-win," Wendell’s mother, Kylia Carter, said.

Carter and his parents founded A Platform Squared in 2020. The foundation focuses on programs and initiatives that teach STEM, financial literacy, African-American history, social injustice, and equality awareness.

Carter’s life revolves around sports. However, excelling in the classroom has always been a top priority for him and his family.

"I just try to preach to them that life is about doing things you really don’t want to do and being really good at it. Being a basketball player, sometimes I don’t want to train, sometimes I don’t want to go to practice," Wendell Carter Jr said. "The way I translate that to the classroom, sometimes I don’t want to do homework, sometimes I don’t want to go to school. But I understand that’s what’s necessary in life."

While Carter’s making moves off the court, he’s dialed in for this last stretch of the Magic’s regular season.