Tracy Morgan is back.

The quintessential New York comedian, critically injured in a car wreck last year, has made a full recovery and will return to “Saturday Night Live” as host this weekend. As both a comic and a fan I can’t wait to hear and see what he does. As a friend, I can’t wait to see him back where he belongs.

Traveling with Morgan at the time of the accident were fellow comics Ardie Fuqua, Harris Stanton and Jimmy Mack (James McNair). McNair, Morgan’s mentor, was killed.

It’s appropriate for Tracy to return to the SNL stage, not only because he was a cast member for eight years but because he’s a true son of New York City — Bronx born and raised — and dealt with more than his share of adversity even before the accident took the life of his mentor and nearly derailed his career.

Life deals each of us a different hand to play. Tracy’s deck included being raised on the tough and dangerous streets of The Bronx and Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn; having a sibling born with cerebral palsy; watching a parent struggle through drug addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder; having his parents separate; losing one parent to AIDS; becoming a drug dealer in a desperate attempt to overcome poverty; having several best friends die tragically; developing a drinking problem; undergoing a kidney transplant; one failed marriage; and being critically injured in a car accident.

What kind of poker face would you put on through all that?

If you’re Tracy Morgan, you don’t. You open your soul genuinely to the world and embrace everything that comes with it.

Since the hand you were dealt seems to be a joke, you decide to tell the joke.

And then tell some more jokes. And then become one of the most respected and iconic comedians of your generation.

On stage, he exudes that tough New York calm-amidst-chaos confidence and swagger. Only a few of us have it. His presence personifies the city’s hard-nosed attitude. He’s the epitome of overcoming adversity in a city teeming with it and reaching a level of greatness. And he did it all his way, playing the lackluster hand he was dealt.

Sometimes that means being strange and unpredictable, sometimes inappropriate and offensive. Sometimes it means shirtless shadow-boxing while declaring, “someone is goin’ to get pregnant tonight” at a comedy club in the West Village. I’ve seen him do all three things in one set.

Maybe Tracy was more cut out for the world of comedy than drug dealing because of his empathy and warmth. Back in those Brooklyn days, he was the crack dealer with a heart of gold. He had to stop, he said, because he felt bad for his customers. Especially the ones who used to bring pennies instead of dollars. “Where’d you get 300 pennies?!”

Tracy used to recall a time when his aunt was a crackhead. One Christmas she bought him a Game Boy. Then she stole it from him.

Then she helped him look for it. Crack is a powerful drug, Tracy would say, laughing.

With Tracy, there’s always plenty of self-deprecating humor to ensure that he’s not above the fray, that he’s not excluding himself from the silliness, all of which endears him to his audience.

Because they know he has one goal in mind — to make people laugh.

That’s Tracy Morgan. His authentic and unwavering spirit overcomes a sorrowful childhood, overcomes poverty, overcomes a kidney transplant, overcomes a devastating car accident, overcomes adversity and overcomes life.

To look at the world through Tracy’s eyes is peculiar, strange, raunchy, genuine, entertaining — and as real as it gets. Yet funny enough to leave your gut and face hurting.

As a comedian, he has the ability to connect with a diverse audience in every way and on every level. To be silly enough to make light of the most extreme events, and to make us think between the laughter.

As for me, to know Tracy is to love him. Our world is a far better place with Tracy Morgan in it. His appearance on SNL this weekend is a great return for a great comic — and a great New Yorker.

Sherrod Small is a comedian, actor and writer born and raised in Brooklyn. He hosts the Race Wars podcast on SiriusXM Radio.

