Kevin Love and a number of NBA veterans put up $100,000 in support of workers at their respective arenas this week. This all came in the wake of basketball games being suspended in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. New Orleans’ rookie Zion Williamson has raised the stakes, offering a tremendously generous contribution.
New Orleans' Zion Williamson says he is pledging to cover the salaries for all of the Pelicans arena staff workers for the next 30 days.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 13, 2020
It’s unclear how much money that would be for thirty days of work, but I would have to imagine it exceeds $100,000. Williamson is earning a salary of around $10 million based on estimations, at the very young age of 19-years-old.
Williamson issued the following statement in regard to the commitment, on his Instagram account.
The people of New Orleans have been incredibly welcoming and supportive since I was Drafted by the Pels last June, and some of the most special people I have met are those who work at smoothie King Center. These are the folks who make our games possible, creating the perfect environment for our fans and everyone involved in the organization. Unfortunately, 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. My mother has always set an example for me about being respectful for others and being grateful for what we have, and so today I am pledging to cover the salaries for all of those Smoothie King Center workers for the next 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 and my teammates and hopefully we can all join together to relieve some of the stress and hardship caused by this national health crisis. 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.
Williamson is in his very first year with the New Orleans Pelicans after being drafted out of Duke. He missed the first couple months of the season with some lower-body injuries but has already cemented himself in the hearts of the people of New Orleans.
