The 53rd Annual Bronx Ball was a truly beautiful event. With the theme being “Strive and Thrive in ’25,” it was appropriate that the honorees for the night would be such successful Bronxites. Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson was there to award the honorees and welcome them to The Bronx Walk of Fame.
There were five additions to the Bronx Walk of Fame this year. The first to be inducted was Kemba Walker, who played for several NBA teams, including the New York Knicks. A graduate of Rice High School and the University of Connecticut — where he led his team to an NCAA Championship — Walker was the 9th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft.
WWE Superstar Damian Priest was next. He is known for his showstopping performances on WrestleMania and is a former WWE Heavyweight Champion. After the induction, Priest told CBS New York “I just want my name to live forever” — and now it will live forever on the Bronx Walk of Fame.
The People’s Choice Award, which was focused on the Media and Arts this year, went to Gary Axelbank of BronxNet Community Television. Throughout the weekend, Axelbank spoke about how his career changed because of the local news network, which was established in 1993. Axelbank started hosting their flagship show BronxTalk in 1994.
After Axelbank, freelance musical artist Judy Torres was inducted. She told BronxNet that her love for music started here. She remembers checking records out of the library and learning the music to famous musicals. The rest of her success blossomed once she established herself as a singer – she can now say she is an actress, producer, model and TEDx speaker.
Devon Rodriguez, an artist known for his viral TikTok videos @devonrodriguezart, was the fifth addition to the Bronx Walk of Fame. He has traveled the world painting the portraits of strangers. Rodriguez was joined by his grandmother, who he said he owes his success to, to pull the cover off his sign.
Later that night, D-Nice accepted the Key to the Borough, and Tourism awards were given to the New York Yankees and the Bronx Music Heritage Center.
