NBA stars, owners pledge donations for workers furloughed by coronavirus shutdown

[March 14, 2020]  By Amy Tennery

NEW YORK (Reuters) - As the bright lights of professional sports go dark across the United States this week, some top names from the NBA were pitching in to ease the burden for arena and stadium staff facing the grim possibility of weeks without pay in the coronavirus shutdown.

The basketball league announced Wednesday that it was indefinitely suspending its season in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, upending daily life for thousands of concession employees, ushers and custodians who rely on games for a paycheck.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love announced he was donating $100,000 to his team's arena support staff and called on others to make similar gestures.

"I'm concerned about the level of anxiety that everyone is feeling," Love wrote in an Instagram post.

Pistons forward Blake Griffin followed up, writing on Twitter that he was "just following suit." He did not elaborate but media outlets reported that he would donate $100,000 to staff at Detroit's Little Caesars Arena.

New Orleans Pelicans star rookie Zion Williamson said on Instagram that he would cover salaries for all workers at the Smoothie King Center for 30 days.

"This is a small way for me to express my support and appreciation for these wonderful people who have been so great to me," Williamson wrote.

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the top scorers in the league, said on Friday that he and his family planned to donate $100,000 to staff members at the Fiserv Forum.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) warms up before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

"It's bigger than basketball!" Antetokounmpo wrote on Twitter. "I want to help the people that make my life, my family's lives and my teammates lives easier."

Team owners have begun their own gestures as well.

The Cleveland Cavaliers said on Twitter that they would pay hourly and event staff members at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, while Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told ESPN that he would make sure hourly workers would be compensated.

Alibaba co-founder and Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai wrote on Twitter that he was also working on a plan regarding non-salaried employees.

(Reporting by Amy Tennery; additional reporting by Rory Carroll and Gene Cherry; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.