Nets rally ... for kids at Christmas

Bed-Stuy, Bedford-Stuyvestant, is the heart of Brooklyn in many ways, nine square miles of history, from its early Dutch settlers in the 17th century, through the Revolutionary War’s Battle of Long Island and all the way up to the more modern Great Migration, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s Bed-Stuy Restoration Corporation and gentrification.

It remains a tough town. So when the Nets were asked to participate this week in a community event, the NYPD Sleigh Ride, they committed, sending Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen to hand out Nets gear and care packages, provided by Clorox, to dozens of kids at Restoration Plaza.

Taking in the festivities, Harris was stunned by the large turnout.

“I didn’t know what to expect but I certainly didn’t expect a crowd like this,” he said.

Harris and Allen, who are among the most community oriented Nets, were both grateful for the opportunity.

“It’s awesome. It’s a great opportunity for us to be a part of the community that we’re playing in,” Harris explained. “Being able to integrate in the community and giving back. Lending a helping hand to their community and the people who are in it. So for us to be able to be out here and be a part of it is special.”

It was among several Brooklyn events, big and small, that included Nets players. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Caris LeVert hopped behind the counter at Modells across from Barclays Center last week to assist kids in their holiday shopping.

Individual Nets like DeMarre Carroll have given in less publicized but nonetheless important ways.

In the Season of Giving, not just the basketball season, the Nets are well represented across Brooklyn.

Happy Holidays to them, to all our wonderful writers and to our longstanding and new fans alike.