Pennsylvania
How two teens from wealthy Pennsylvania suburbs became suspects in an attempted ‘ISIS-inspired’ attack in New York City
BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. — Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi have a lot in common: They’re both teenagers. They’re both first-generation Americans. Both live on tree-lined streets in the affluent suburbs north of Philadelphia.
“Nothing crazy happens around this area,” said Logan Lombardi, who went to high school with Kayumi.
For all their similarities, however, authorities say the only known link between the pair is what they did together last Saturday: attempt what investigators describe as an ISIS-inspired attack by throwing explosive devices at a protest outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence.
Federal prosecutors allege that Balat, 18, and Kayumi, 19, drove to Manhattan from Pennsylvania the morning of March 7, parking a few blocks away from Gracie Mansion before slipping into a crowd that included participants in an anti-Islam demonstration and a group of counterprotesters. The pair was arrested after Balat threw two jars packed with explosive materials at protesters and law enforcement, according to prosecutors.
Neither of the devices detonated, and no one was injured. Balat and Kayumi are being detained on several federal charges, including attempting to provide support to the Islamic State, after prosecutors said the pair made statements about the terrorist group.
Body-camera video from the New York City officers who arrested Kayumi shows him responding “ISIS” to someone in the crowd asking why he had done it, according to a federal complaint.
After waiving his Miranda rights, prosecutors said, Balat pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State and told authorities that he hoped to inflict more carnage than the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, which left three dead and more than 260 others injured.
Lawyers for Balat and Kayumi did not immediately return requests for comment. Balat’s attorney, Mehdi Essmidi, told NBC News on Monday that Balat has “complicated stuff going on” and suggested that his client did not know Kayumi prior to Saturday.
“They’re strangers to each other,” he said.
Classmates recall a quiet, independent student
While authorities have not detailed how the teenagers knew each other, the two grew up roughly 4 miles apart in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Kayumi lives in Newtown, Pennsylvania, on a street lined with 4,000-square-foot brick homes, and manicured lawns. His parents emigrated from Afghanistan and became U.S. citizens in 2004 and 2009, according to CBS News.
On Thursday, no one answered the door, though a Mercedes sat in the driveway. Neighbors a few houses away told NBC News they didn’t know Kayumi or his family well and said they mostly kept to themselves.
Kayumi enrolled part time at nearby Bucks County Community College in September 2024, according to a college spokesperson.
Earlier that year, he had graduated from Council Rock High School North, which has a football field and track, roughly a dozen newly paved tennis courts and a student parking lot packed with luxury cars. Students said the area is not known for the violence prosecutors now allege.
“The high school and the town — people are pretty affluent,” said former classmate Connor McCormick. “There’s not really a whole lot of controversy at all.”
The high school said in a statement that “there is no evidence that he has posed a threat to any Council Rock schools” and encouraged concerned students to consult with their school counselors.
Another former classmate, Matt — who asked that his last name not be published due to fears of retaliation — said he and Kayumi were in smaller classes for children with learning disabilities.
Matt said that although he and Kayumi saw each other a lot, their conversations were typically brief and one-sided.
“He definitely was very quiet,” Matt said. “He would not talk unless you tried to talk to him, you know what I mean? Like, he would not say a word.”
Matt said that while Kayumi did not get bullied regularly, he was sometimes a target.
“He wasn’t really that violent, but if someone would say something to him, like disrespecting him or something, he wasn’t afraid to say something back,” Matt said.
Matt and Lombardi recalled that Kayumi was involved in at least one physical altercation at school. The two former classmates did not witness the fight and could not recall who else was involved or who instigated it. They said they remember the altercation because physical violence at their high school was “very uncommon.” A representative for the school declined to comment on Kayumi’s student records.
Lombardi, 19, said he used to sit next to Kayumi on the bus to and from school nearly every day during their sophomore year. He described Kayumi as “independent” but not someone who shied away from conversation.
“He didn’t have any telling signs if we’re comparing it to what just happened,” Lombardi said. “He would not in any aspect whatsoever have been my first guess.”
Lombardi said that although they spoke often during their sophomore year, Kayumi was not on his list of people to say goodbye to at the end of high school.
It is not immediately clear what Kayumi has been doing since leaving high school and starting community college. A college spokesperson said Kayumi withdrew from the school by March 9.
Kayumi’s mother filed a missing person report for her son on March 7, saying she last saw her son at around 10:30 a.m. — two hours before his arrest, according to the complaint.
“If he’s going to be five minutes late, he calls,” Kayumi’s father told The New York Times in an interview.
Teens allegedly drove to New York with explosive materials
Balat grew up 4 miles south of Kayumi on a similarly tree-lined street in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.
His father, Selahattin Balat, immigrated to the U.S. from Turkey and became a citizen in 2017, according to a lawsuit he filed against the Department of Homeland Security over his citizenship application in 2015.
On Thursday, a man who identified himself as Balat’s father answered the front door of the family’s palatial home and declined to comment.
Balat is a senior at Neshaminy High School in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, according to a school spokesperson. The spokesperson confirmed to NBC News that Balat has been finishing his senior year remotely since September.
When asked for comment on last week’s incident, the Neshaminy School District shared two letters from the district’s superintendent to parents and staff, including one that said there was no information indicating concerns about Balat related to the school.
The New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Balat had been selling designer sneakers at a markup, sometimes for hundreds of dollars, out of a Wawa parking lot since he was 13 years old. He was also selling products on Facebook Marketplace as recently as 19 days before the incident in New York.
One of Balat’s neighbors, who asked that NBC News not publish her name due to fears of retaliation, described the family as “loving,” “open,” “welcoming” and “kindhearted.”
She said she didn’t speak with Balat much over the last few years, but that he seemed like a “typical kid.” Balat shoveled her driveway during a snowstorm a few years ago.
“It doesn’t surprise me because this is the world we’re in right now,” she said. “But it does surprise me that it’s right here.”
On March 2, Balat purchased a fireworks fuse from Phantom Fireworks in Langhorne. Surveillance video shared with NBC News shows him arriving at the company’s Penndel location at around 12:15 p.m., registering his identification with an employee — a step the company requires of all customers — and buying a single 20-foot roll of green safety fuse with cash.
Phantom Fireworks Executive Vice President Alan Zoldan said the company searched its records for the suspects’ names after the attempted bombing and found a match for Balat, which led employees to the roughly 10-minute store visit captured on video. Zoldan also showed NBC News a copy of a subpoena he said federal prosecutors sent to the company.
Five days later, prosecutors say, Kayumi and Balat drove from Pennsylvania to New York City in a black Honda registered to one of Balat’s family members, crossing the George Washington Bridge to Manhattan at around 11:36 a.m. ET.
At about 12:15 p.m. ET, Balat threw an explosive device toward the area where protesters gathered at an anti-Islam rally outside the mayor’s official residence on the Upper East Side, according to officials. The rally was led by conservative provocateur Jake Lang and attracted fewer than two dozen protesters and more than 120 counterprotesters, according to authorities.
Shortly afterward, Kayumi handed off a second explosive device to Balat, who dropped the device near police officers before the pair was arrested, according to the complaint.
After waiving his Miranda rights, the complaint says, Kayumi said he “was affiliated with ISIS; watched ISIS propaganda on his phone; and was partly inspired to carry out his actions that day by ISIS.”
Investigators recovered a notebook from the car Balat and Kayumi drove, which contained handwritten notes that reference “materials that could be used to build explosive devices,” according to the complaint.
Authorities also removed “explosive residue” from a Pennsylvania storage unit believed to be connected to the incident. A senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told NBC News that local police detonated some of the components out of caution late Monday.
Investigators are still trying to determine how Balat and Kayumi met and what led them to allegedly plan the attack.
For Matt, it’s been difficult trying to reconcile the classmate he remembers and the allegations against him.
“We just thought he was a normal kid, like all of us, pretty much,” Matt said. “We were all shocked.”
Pennsylvania is another step closer to restricting cellphone usage in schools after the state House passed a bill on a bipartisan vote on Monday, June 1, 2026.
House Bill 1814 would prohibit students in Pennsylvania’s public schools from using or possessing a cellphone during the school day. Under the bill, students would be required to secure their phones in a way that prevents access until the end of the day with exceptions being for certain emergency and medical needs approved by school administrators.
The bill now moves to the Pennsylvania Senate for consideration. The state Senate had previously passed legislation back in 2024 that encouraged school districts in Pennsylvania to start a pilot program that effectively banned cellphone use during the school day in an effort to improve the mental health and academic performance of students.
Governor Josh Shapiro and multiple Pennsylvania educators have also called for restrictions on cellphone usage in schools.
“Our children need this bill,” Rep. Mandy Steele (D-33rd District) said. “It’s taken a lot of hard work to get this bill to this point, but it’s been worth the effort. Research shows that unfettered access to devices is harming our children, and many educators tell me this bill is desperately needed. Governor Shapiro has urged the General Assembly to send him a bill banning cell phones in schools, and I urge the Senate to send this bill to his desk for the benefit of our children.”
Currently, at least 38 states and the District of Columbia restrict cellphone usage in schools, according to Education Week.
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Top Events and Attractions in The Sweetest Place On Earth this month
Happy June! The summer season in Hershey, Pennsylvania, is in full swing with so many things to do all month long. Keep reading for some of our top picks.
1. Spend The Day at Hersheypark
Open Daily; Hours Vary
Hersheypark amusement park is now open daily for its 120th summer season, with special events and activations in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
The largest amusement park in Pennsylvania features three parks in one this summer – all accessible via a single admission. Guests can enjoy more than 70 rides, including the most coasters in the Northeast, a full water park and an 11-acre zoo.
2. Cool Off at The Boardwalk
Open Daily, Weather Permitting; Hours Vary
Make a splash this summer at The Boardwalk at Hersheypark water park! Enjoy thrill rides like the Whitecap Racer and Breaker’s Edge Water Coaster, or relax on the 1,360-foot Intercoastal Waterway lazy river. Plus, experience our two new water play areas, The Inlet and The Island at Bayside Pier, or get drenched by the massive East Coast Waterworks and its 1,000-gallon tipping bucket. Access to The Boardwalk is included with general Hersheypark admission.
3. Visit ZooAmerica
Open Daily; Hours Vary
ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park is open every day in June for guests to explore a variety of habitats filled with North American animals such as river otters, Canada lynx and a black bear. The zoo offers daily summer activities, such as special animal enrichment and training sessions for guests to watch, weather permitting.
Hersheypark tickets include entry to ZooAmerica only by accessing the Zoo through the bridge inside Hersheypark during posted Park hours. Those interested in visiting ZooAmerica in the morning before Hersheypark opens must purchase separate Zoo admission tickets online or at the Zoo Admissions Building.
4. Jazz On The Veranda at The Hotel Hershey
June 5 & 12; 7 to 10 p.m.
Unwind on the veranda at The Hotel Hershey on select Fridays this summer for live music, sweet views, cocktails and light shareables available for walk-up service. Seating is first-come, first-served.
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6. Learn About Milton Hershey at the 1893 World’s Fair at The Hershey Story Museum
June 13 & 14; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Step into the excitement and innovation of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair at The Hershey Story Museum! Discover how the historic event shaped Milton Hershey’s future and the future of chocolate during a two-day, immersive event. The family-friendly indoor-outdoor experience features hands-on activities and interactive “innovation stations” inspired by the groundbreaking inventions and technologies showcased at the original 1893 fair.
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7. Father’s Day Celebrations at Hershey Gardens
June 21; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Treat Dad to a stunning display of classic Rolls-Royces and Bentleys at Hershey Gardens while learning the history of these luxury vehicles from the Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club. Afterward, stroll through the grounds to enjoy 3,000 vibrant roses in full bloom just in time for the first day of summer. As a special gift, all dads receive free admission to the Gardens on Father’s Day, and the car display is included with general admission.
Butterfly Atrium at Hershey Gardens
8. Youth Takeover Day at The Hershey Story Museum
June 27; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Experience Hershey history through the eyes of the community’s youth on Youth Takeover day at The Hershey Story Museum. As part of this annual national event, local students will take center stage to highlight young voices, ideas and leadership within the museum. Guests are invited to engage in hands-on activities, explore the Museum Experience and gain fresh perspectives on our region’s past through the unique insights of our local participants. This special programming is included with general Museum Experience admission.
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9. Enjoy Outdoor Dining
Daily; Reservations Available at Selection Locations
As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, join us for sweet outdoor dining (weather permitting) at the locations below across the destination:
10. Relax With A Summer Spa Treatment
Daily; Appointments Highly Encouraged
The Spa At The Hotel Hershey and MeltSpa by Hershey mark the return of their summer seasonal treatments this month! Treat yourself to a day of pampering at The Spa At The Hotel Hershey with summer spa packages like the Vacation For A Day Package or indulge in the Summer Strawberry Collection at MeltSpa by Hershey with treatments including the Summer Strawberry Immersion, Scrub, Manicure and Pedicure.
11. National Rose Month at Hershey Gardens
June is National Rose Month, and there’s no better place to celebrate than Hershey Gardens, home to 3,000 blooming roses in 115 stunning varieties. To mark the occasion, any guest named “Rose” (or a variation thereof) will receive free admission all month long.
Plus, in honor of National Red Rose Day, Hershey Gardens is hosting special 30-minute guided tours of the Historic Hershey Rose Garden on Saturday, June 13, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tours are included with general admission.
Roses at Hershey Gardens 2024
Roses at Hershey Gardens 2024
Roses at Hershey Gardens 2024
Roses at Hershey Gardens 2024
12. Book A Getaway at an Official Resort of Hersheypark
Extend your visit to The Sweetest Place On Earth with an overnight getaway to one of The Official Resorts of Hersheypark! Save with popular summer packages, including the guest-favorite Kids Stay, Play & Eat FREE Package – back for a limited time at The Hotel Hershey, Hershey Lodge and Hershey Inn & Suites. Or, celebrate National Camping Month with the Hersheypark Summer Camping Package, including Park tickets and accommodations at Hersheypark Camping Resort.
Resort guests can make a splash at the outdoor pool complexes, open daily through Labor Day. Plus, enjoy daily resort activities, including Hershey Character appearances, s’mores roasts, chocolate bingo and more.
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The Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame’s 42nd annual induction banquet will be held Sunday, June 7, at Mohegan Pennsylvania, where 10 new inductees will take their place among the region’s greatest athletes across all sports.
The inductees are: Bree Bednarski, Brianna Pizzano and Frank Redmond, graduates of Wyoming Area; Allie Barber, Pittston Area; Ed Keil, West Side Vocational-Technical School; Joseph Kemmerer, Crestwood; Karen Krysiewski Day, Wyoming Valley West; Addy Malatesta, Berwick Area; Bobby Sura, Wilkes-Barre GAR; and Eddie White, III, Bishop Hoban.
The hall will also present the following honors: Neil Corbett, founding member of The Citizens’ Voice and its longtime sports editor, will receive the Media Award; Mary Kelly, Hazleton Area’s winningest field hockey coach, will receive the Tracey Tribendis “Profile of Courage” Award; and Jeffrey Swire, co-founder and president of Patriots Cove, will receive the Sam Falcone Community Service Award.
Additionally, the hall will recognize this year’s scholar-athletes — Tucker Blasi of Sullivan County, Addisyn Bly of Wyalusing Valley, Joseph Mayernik of MMI Prep — and Evelyn Sheer of Hazleton Area, winner of the HERizon Award, presented to the most outstanding female wrestler in the Wyoming Valley Conference.
“The Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame has been busy in recent weeks presenting scholarships to graduating high school seniors, donating supplies and funds to community organizations and making all preparations that need to be in place for this year’s banquet,” said James T. Martin, Jr., president. “It promises to be a fun night of camaraderie and appreciation for some of the men and women who have greatly impacted local and national sports over the past few decades.”
Inductees
• Allie Barber
A Pittston native, Barber played a key role in major team successes in multiple sports in high school and college. She developed her athletic foundation at an early age through constant exposure to sports alongside her family.
Barber scored a Pittston Area record 159 career goals in soccer and was a 2013 Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association all-state selection. She also led the Patriots to the District 2 Class 3A championship. In basketball, she scored over 1,000 career points and won a district title. She also competed in track and field for three seasons at Pittston Area, which won a district title in that sport, as well.
Barber continued her soccer career at Bloomsburg University, where she appeared in every game, recorded 19 goals and 20 assists and started the final 59 consecutive contests of her career. She was part of teams that won a regular-season title, a conference championship, an Atlantic Regional title and made the Elite Eight. She also played one season of basketball.
While at Bloomsburg, Barber was named a United Soccer Coaches second-team All-American and a first-team Scholar All-American. She also earned the school’s Eleanor Wray Senior Female Athlete of the Year award.
• Bree Bednarski
One of the Wyoming Valley’s most accomplished multi-sport athletes, Bednarski established herself as one of the nation’s premier field hockey players while also excelling in softball and track and field.
Bednarski concluded her remarkable field hockey career at Wyoming Area with 127 goals and 37 assists, setting program records for goals in a game, season and career. Her 67-goal senior season in 2015 set a state record and earned her Wyoming Valley Conference Player of the Year honors from The Citizens’ Voice. She was also a three-time all-state selection and member of the U.S. U17 national team. Bednarski continued her collegiate career at the University of Michigan and Penn State.
In addition to her field hockey success, Bednarski was an all-state softball player and was named the Times Leader’s 2016 WVC Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year. In that postseason, she won four medals at the District 2 championships — gold in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 4×100 relay and silver in the javelin.
As Bednarski’s playing career ended, her coaching career began. She was named Wyoming Area’s head field hockey coach in 2022 and has led her Alma mater to new heights, including multiple district and WVC championships.
• Ed Keil
Keil’s life in golf is a story of service and lasting impact, beginning at West Side Vocational-Technical School. Keil was a golf captain and team MVP at West Side Tech before serving in the U.S. Air Force, where he competed on the golf team at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
Returning home in 1978, Keil began working as the golf course superintendent at Lehman Golf Club and enrolled at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, where he obtained a degree in engineering while continuing to work.
Keil was named Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s head golf coach in 1988, beginning a historic career that has included 38 years at the helm with 51 tournament victories and eight conference championships. In 2025, he was named head golf coach at Penn State Hazleton while continuing his duties at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. Between the two programs, he has coached 137 all-conference or all-state golfers and 195 academic all-conference selections. He has also coached bowling at Penn State Wilkes-Barre.
Beyond coaching, Keil built a parallel legacy in golf operations and instruction as a superintendent and instructor. He has also won more than 100 individual and team tournaments as a golfer, including two club championships at Lehman Golf Club.
• Joseph Kemmerer
Kemmerer was introduced to wrestling at age 6 at the Wilkes-Barre YMCA. In addition to making lifelong friends at an early age, Kemmerer learned skills and techniques that set the foundation for a long and successful career in a sport that influenced virtually every aspect of his life in some way.
Kemmerer wrestled at Crestwood High School. As a senior, he went undefeated (38-0) and won the 2004 PIAA Class 3A state championship at 119 pounds. He also won three District 2 championships and graduated with a 102-7 record.
Following high school, Kemmerer first attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He was the Southern Conference champion at 125 pounds as a freshman. He transferred to Kutztown University, where he won two NCAA Division II national championships and compiled a 60-4 record. Kemmerer furthered his education at Liberty University, where he served as a graduate assistant coach while training and ultimately competing on an international stage.
Kemmerer remains involved in the sport. He runs a successful wrestling club — Nova Wrestling Club — that has won championships in folkstyle, freestyle and Greco-Roman.
• Karen Krysiewski Day
A standout swimmer at the high school and collegiate levels, Krysiewski Day’s competitive swimming career began at the Wilkes-Barre YMCA. Soon, she entered the USA swimming circuit with the newly formed FAST Swim Club and emerged as an elite distance swimmer.
After helping Wyoming Valley West win four consecutive District 2 girls swimming team championships — and graduating as the program record-holder in six events with four individual district gold medals as a senior — Krysiewski Day matriculated to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
At UNC, Krysiewski Day competed under legendary coach Frank Comfort and she transitioned into the grueling world of collegiate long-distance swimming. She remembers this as one of the most challenging and transformative periods of her life. She was a member of two ACC championship teams. She graduated in 1999, carrying into her professional life the discipline and integrated approach to wellness that she developed as a Tar Heel.
• Adelene Addy Malatesta
Malatesta has dedicated nearly five decades to education, coaching and athletic leadership, leaving a lasting impact on student-athletes at Wilkes University and across Northeastern Pennsylvania and beyond.
Malatesta was a standout student-athlete at Berwick Area High School, where her coaches served as significant influences. Malatesta’s basketball coach, Joan Voveris, was an accomplished musician and teacher. Her field hockey coach, Dr. Betty Henry, rose to the title of superintendent of Berwick Area schools. Her softball coach, Paul Stenko, was a former Chicago Bear who returned home to teach and coach.
Malatesta pursued a degree from Slippery Rock University before returning to Berwick as a teacher and coach. She guided Berwick’s field hockey program in 1981 to a PIAA District 4 championship while also earning a master’s degree from East Stroudsburg University.
After coaching and teaching at SUNY Potsdam, Malatesta returned home in 1989 as head field hockey coach at Wilkes. Over 14 seasons, her teams won 140 games and multiple conference titles. She also served 23 years as Wilkes’ director of athletics, overseeing major facility enhancements and the growth of the athletic department to 23 varsity sports.
Malatesta is a member of both the Wilkes and Berwick Area Athletic Halls of Fame.
• Brianna Pizzano
Pizzano began playing tennis at age 3, taking her first lesson at Kingston Indoor Tennis Club. She quickly demonstrated the ability to compete beyond her age and was playing in — and winning — local and regional tournaments by age 8.
At Wyoming Area, Pizzano competed in both tennis and softball. She won two District 2 championships as a freshman and sophomore in singles play as a Warrior. In softball, she was an all-state shortstop who posted a .457 batting average as a junior; her senior season was canceled due to COVID-19.
Pizzano continued her tennis career at Misericordia University, where she was named MAC Freedom Player of the Year in all four seasons. She was also recognized as the conference’s Senior Scholar-Athlete and ranked No. 36 among the university’s top athletes of the century. She won conference championships in singles and doubles play and lost only once in regular-season play throughout her career.
She remains actively involved in the sport she loves, providing private tennis instruction to children and adults of all ages.
• Frank Redmond
Having been introduced to track and field as a seventh-grade student at Wyoming Area, Redmond soon captured a junior high championship that set the tone for an impressive high school and collegiate career.
Redmond recorded three top-10 finishes for the Warriors at the District 2 Cross Country Championships. On the track, he steadily improved each season and his achievements included qualifying for the PIAA state championships in the 800-meter race as a junior.
Redmond continued his running career at Misericordia University, where he took a significant step forward. He was named Misericordia’s Most Valuable Player four times in cross country and three times in track. He earned All-America honors in 2010 with a fifth-place finish in the 800-meter race at the NCAA Division III national championships. He earned 20 All-MAC honors across indoor and outdoor track and was a six-time All-ECAC selection. Following graduation, Redmond served as a graduate assistant coach at Misericordia while completing his master’s degree and competing in regional road races.
• Bobby Sura
A native of Wilkes-Barre, Sura is among the most decorated high school, collegiate and professional basketball players to ever come out of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Sura’s GAR Grenadiers won three District 2 championships in four years and advanced to the PIAA state championship game his junior and senior seasons. As a senior, he averaged 34 points per game and was named the Associated Press Small School Player of the Year in Pennsylvania. He scored a GAR record 2,468 points.
From GAR, Sura enrolled at Florida State and was named the ACC Rookie of the Year as a freshman. As a sophomore, he scored 19.9 points per game and helped the Seminoles make the Elite Eight. He remains Florida State’s all-time leader in career points and minutes played.
The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Sura in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft. He competed in the 1996 All-Rookie Game, the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest and the 2000 Three-Point Contest. He retired after 10 seasons in the NBA, recording 5,654 points, 2,474 assists and 2,240 rebounds.
In 1999, Times Leader readers participated in a poll that ranked Sura the No. 6 local athlete of the century. In 2002, The Citizens’ Voice ranked Sura as the No. 2 athlete of all-time from the Wyoming Valley. He was inducted in 2003 into the Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame.
• Eddie White III
White’s prolific and distinguished career has been defined by a deep-rooted passion for sports, shaped in the Wyoming Valley as a graduate of Bishop Hoban High School and Wilkes University.
After graduating from Wilkes, where he worked as an undergraduate with the school’s athletic office, newspaper and radio station, White served his Alma mater as a full-time director of sports information. White quickly rose through the ranks of sports communications and marketing, working for major brands and organizations in college and professional athletics, including Notre Dame and the Miami Dolphins.
White moved to Indiana, working for the sportswear company Logo 7/Logo Athletic. He was eventually hired by the first all-sports radio station in Indianapolis — ESPN The Fan — and hosted its afternoon drive show while also working numerous Super Bowls and then landing at Pacers Sports and Entertainment. He has worked the last 15 years for the NBA’s Pacers and WNBA’s Fever in various media and public relations capacities and he currently hosts Pacers Overtime, the team’s postgame radio show.
White’s grandfather, Eddie White, Sr., the legendary Wilkes-Barre Barons basketball coach, was inducted into the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.
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