NBA Players Kevin Love, Zion Williamson & MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo Offer To Pay Arena Workers Amid Suspended Season
NBA Players Kevin Love, Zion Williamson & MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo Offer To Pay Arena Workers Amid Suspended Season
Following the recent fallout of the global COVID-19 pandemic (a.k.a. Coronavirus), the NBA has announced this week (March 11th), they have suspended the season for at least 30 days, according to reports.
In the day’s following, a number of active players are opening their wallets to help hourly workers who support their teams and work in arenas on a nightly basis. Players including current NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love, and Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans.
On Thursday, Love took to his Instagram announcing he would be donating $100,000 to help “arena and support staff that had a sudden life shift due to the suspension of the NBA season.”
The reigning NBA MVP also took to his Twitter to reveal he would donate $100,000 to Fiserv Forum staff.
In addition, 19-year-old rookie Zion Williams took action by opening his wallet to cover the salaries of New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center workers for the next 30 days.
Williams went on to write about how he was inspired by many of those same people are still in recovery mode from Hurricane Katrina recovery in 2005. He adds his mother, Sharonda Anderson, set an example for him and that’s why he’s covering the salaries. Williams emotional statement reads,
“This is an incredibly resilient city full of some of the most resilient people, but sometimes providing a little extra assistance can make things a little easier for the community.”
As the young 19-year-old, No. 1 overall pick, Williamson is set to make $9.757 million this year as a part of his four-year, $44.2 million deal, according to reports. He’s also picked up national endorsement deals with Jordan, Gatorade, Panini America, Mercedes-Benz, Fanatics, Beats, Mountain Dew and 2K Sports.
These three key notable NBA stars have inspire not only other NBA players but also front office members to cover the cost of hourly workers who will be out of a job due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuben released a statement Friday saying they are making arrangements to “ensure that scheduled event staff will receive payment for the six home games that were to take place during the 30-day NBA hiatus.”
Other teams that have said they either have a plan or are working on one during the hiatus include the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Maple Leafs, Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments!