A last-second winning basket at the buzzer does it every time: fans want more. Ohio State men’s and women’s basketball teams have scored their share of exhilarating wins over the years, earning titles and delighting fans. To remain competitive and recruit the best student-athletes, however, cutting-edge facilities must accompany winning records.

Buckeye great, NBA All-Star, and 2008 Olympic gold medalist Michael Redd is doing his part to keep Ohio State at the top of its game. With a recent gift of $500,000, he is making an impressive down payment on a new $22 million practice facility for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams. To be located along the west side of the Jerome Schottenstein Center, the addition will be the only facility in the nation with two separate, dedicated practice gyms for each team and one of the few to have four full-length college basketball practice floors.

“I’m giving to the basketball program because I want to see the program flourish with the state-of-the-art facility,” Redd said. “I got so much out of Ohio State. Everyone helped me in tremendous ways and gave me so many opportunities.”

A Columbus native, Redd played basketball and football as a child and cheered for the Buckeyes. He graduated from West High School in 1997 and earned the honor of Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 1998. He helped lead Ohio State to the Final Four in 1999 before leaving for the 2000 NBA draft.

Soon after he made his mark in the NBA, Redd began to share his good fortune. His first gift went to his father’s church to help the congregation—which had been meeting in the basement of a nearby church—purchase a place to meet. He married his wife, Achea, in 2006, and together they created the Michael Redd Foundation to give youth both academic and practical tools to succeed in life. The foundation currently works primarily in the greater Columbus and Milwaukee metro areas.

Thanks to Redd’s generosity with time and money, Ohio State is benefiting in major ways as well. The new practice facility will transform team development, collaboration, and communication among coaches and student-athletes.

“I just want the program to be successful. Ohio State is a part of my life,” said Redd, who is preparing for his 10th season with the Milwaukee Bucks. “It’s all about a legacy and setting the tone for future athletes...to be that example for younger student-athletes. You never forget where you came from, and giving back is the way to say thank you.”

To learn more about Ohio State athletics, go to Buckeyes.

To support the Department of Athletics, go to make a gift.

top of page

“It’s all about a legacy and setting the tone for future athletes…to be that example for younger student-athletes. You never forget where you came from and giving back is the way to say thank you.”