ATLANTA — The stars were out in abundance on the blue carpet last week as The Boys & Girls Clubs of America inducted nine new members into its Alumni Hall of Fame.
Al Roker, Fred McGriff, Allen Iverson, Andre Iguodala, Ronnie DeVoe, Damar Hamlin, Will Reeve, William Joseph and Alyse Eady were the nine members inducted into an exclusive class in Atlanta last Thursday.
Growing up in the Brownsville Boys Club in Brooklyn, New York, NBC's Al Roker got his first sense of community through The Boys & Girls Club.
"Well, you know, what was great, it was kind of like your first experience, almost in a way," Roker said. "Stepping out of your comfort zone, stepping out of your neighborhood, going to a place where you're going to meet kids from other areas within your community, and it gave you a sense of independence, a sense of confidence, and it was really in a way stepping out for the first time."
Roker couldn't believe the names he was being inducted alongside.
"I don't quite understand why. These are real names," Roker said. "But, it's just an honor because The Boys and Girls Clubs have done so much and especially in our current times, anything that fosters a sense of community is so important."
Roker, who was notably absent from the TODAY Show last year after being hospitalized for four weeks, also shared an update on his health after he had been posting workouts and inspirational health messages on his social media.
"Yeah, I feel really good. I mean, look, what I've come away from with this is that I think something is better than nothing," Roker said. "You don't have to be a world-class athlete. You just have to be your best class. And that's what I try to do."
Roker is set to travel to another Olympics when he heads to Paris for NBC's coverage in July. He said he's most looking forward to a "two-week period where differences are put aside" and where everyone is cheering for the same common goal.
Also among the inductees was MLB Hall of Famer and Braves legend Fred McGriff. McGriff played in Atlanta from 1993 to 1997 and was a member of the 1995 World Series team. He hit 130 home runs during his five seasons with the Braves.
McGriff grew up in The Boys Club in Tampa, Florida. He explained that he learned a lot growing up and hopes to be able to give back more to the club in the future.
"My mom would drop me off at The Boys Club in Tampa and I just learned a lot of life values and so forth. It's all part of -- I'm still living a dream and so tonight is a special night," McGriff said.
He said that learning life skills was something he took out of his experience growing up in the club.
"Getting along with everybody. We didn't care about skin color," McGriff said. "It was like, 'Hey, you got a ball? Let's go play.' That was the end of the story, and we played board games. We went outside and played kickball, football -- all the sports that everybody else plays today and just so many great memories."
When asked about the Braves' outlook in 2024, he said he believes it should be another strong year.
"The Braves are going strong, you know? You know the pitching, losing Strider, that kind of hurt them a little bit," McGriff said. "So hopefully the other pitchers will pick it up, and they'll have a good year."