Introducing The Great Gina Cosenza To Sir Charles Barkley

A fun part of working in the radio business is that sometimes cool people will come in to visit the studios and that is exactly what happened the other day with Charles Barkley.

I mean how neat is it that on any given day, we could run into a true sports and entertainment legend like Charles Barkley?!

About a week or so ago, Charles Barkley came into the Beasley Media Group Philly clutter and was guest hosting The Mike Missanelli Show on our sister station, 97.5 The Fanatic.

Once I found that out, I had to head down the hall to say hello and hang for a bit, but I couldn’t do it alone — I took Gina Cosenza with me as well!

For those who don’t know, Gina does amazing work for our digital team here at MGK!

Well, it turned out that Gina had never met Sir Charles before, so it was kind of cool that I got to introduce her to basketball royalty!

Funnily enough, Gina had never met Charles, but I have known him for over 25 years — I think that may be longer than Gina’s actually been alive!

In my time getting to know Charles Barkley, it is safe to say that he is without a doubt one of the nicest athletes you’ll ever meet.

I remember one time we were together at Bridget Fox’s on South Street back in 2011, and he ended up paying for everyone’s meal at the restaurant.

Plus, if anyone asks him for a picture or autograph, he happily says no problem every time.

Oh, and when he was on The Mike Missanelli Show that day, he talked about how he donates over $1 million dollars a year to charitable causes like wounded warriors, ALS, and girls' high school basketball teams.

He does all that and doesn’t even make a big deal about it!

And he said and I quote, “I’ll do this until I keel over,” when he was talking about donating!

He’s an incredible guy that Sir Charles, and the world is a better place with him in it. 

Until next time Charles Barkley!

Last night, February 5, 2024, the Philadelphia 76ers went head-to-head with the Dallas Mavericks. With Joel Embiid still out with an injury, the team lost 118-102.

The Sixers were down four regular starters, including Joel Embiid. He is out for a displaced flap of the meniscus in the left knee.

He will move forward with a procedure on that knee that will have him out for a significant amount of time. Anyway, back to Monday's game.

Gina, who is in MGK's digital department, told me she was going to the game with her family. It was for her dad's birthday. She sits right next to me, and just outside the studio I broadcast from every day.

Her dad, Ron, is a huge Sixers fan! I love her parents, Sarah and Ron, and Gina helps out a lot with all things digital and social media.

In a last-minute turn of events, Gina got to sit courtside, less than a foul shot away from Joel! In fact, it was even closer. She was close enough to foul him!

Gina sent me all of her photos from her amazing night. She said it fulfilled her dad's childhood dream. She and her dad had a blast being that close to the players. They were close enough to hear trash talk clearly!

Here are my and Gina's photos from the night:

I snapped this picture of Kyrie Irving during the game. He was chirping with the fans.

Gina got this photo of the Sixers bench. In this pic, you can see Mo Bamba, Tyrese Maxey, Ricky Council IV, and Furkan Korkmaz. The bench was pretty clear here. It was in the first quarter.

Gina was very close to Joel Embiid, as you can see. He came and sat on the bench after the game tipped off. She was shocked when he walked over and sat so close!

Before the game, Gina got photos of the players warming up. Here is a good shot of Kelly Oubre Jr. preparing for the game. You can spot Patrick Beverley in the photo as well.

I snapped this picture of Gina and her dad, Ron, sitting courtside. Check out who was next to her! None other than Robert Covington, aka RoCo, and De'Anthony Melton. They popped over to sit next to her as the game was ending. She got a fist bump from Melton!

Before the game, Kate Scott was walking out to start the television broadcast as I went over to talk to Gina at her seat! Gina and Kate have met a few times, but I formally introduced Ron to Kate. I got this great picture of their smiling faces!

Luka! The ma was in the house. I snapped a photo of Luka Dončić during the game. The Mavericks pulled out the win with help from this guy right here.