Two basketball stars have pledged to give money to support the staff at their home court arenas in the wake of a coronavirus-spurred NBA hiatus.
New Orleans Pelicans鈥 star Zion Williamson announced Friday that he would cover the salaries of workers at Smoothie King Center for the next 30 days.
鈥淭he people of New Orleans have been incredibly welcoming and supportive since I was Drafted by the Pels last June,鈥 Williamson . 鈥淪ome of the most special people I have met are those who work at smoothie King Center.鈥
鈥淯nfortunately, many of them are still recovering from long-term challenges created by Katrina, and now face the economic impact of the postponement of games because of the virus.鈥
In light of this, he pledged to cover the workers鈥 salaries for the next 30 days, saying he was following his mother鈥檚 example of being respectful to others and grateful for his own good fortune.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, of the Milwaukee Bucks, also pledged US$100,000 to the staff at Fiserv Forum, 鈥淚t鈥檚 bigger than basketball!
鈥淒uring this tough time I want to help the people that make my life, my family鈥檚 lives and my teammates lives easier,鈥 he wrote.
The NBA suspended the 2020 season on Wednesday after Rudy Gobert, a Utah Jazz player, tested positive for COVID-19. A second Jazz player, Donovan Mitchell, announced on Thursday that he had also tested positive.
Smoothie King Center and Fiserv Forum are both multi-purpose arenas that serve as home to the Pelicans and the Bucks respectively.
Williamson, who rose to prominence playing college ball with Duke, was the Number 1 pick during the draft in June. In his Instagram post, he called the city of New Orleans 鈥渞esilient.鈥
鈥淭his is a small way for me to express my support and appreciation for these wonderful people who have been so great to me and my teammates and hopefully we can all join together to relieve some of the stress and hardship caused by this national health crisis,鈥 he wrote.
鈥淪ometimes providing a little extra assistance can make things a little easier for the community.鈥
