No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson made news last week when he announced that he would cover the salaries for those who work at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans for the next 30 days.
Players and owners have stepped up in helping arena workers since the NBA announced the regular season would be suspended until further notice. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was among the first to state his intentions to put a plan in place to financially assist those who may be affected by the loss of games.
Since that time, teams and players across the NBA have put into place similar plans as employees around the NBA deal with the potential loss of income with games suspended for the time being. Pelicans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin was especially appreciative of the gesture by Williamson as he addressed fans on Twitter Saturday night.
It just shows an awful lot about where his head is as a 19-year-old guy. He really connects to this city. He cares deeply about our fans and about this region and as does his family. His mom and dad were really integral in that decision. His stepdad, Coach [Lee] Anderson, and his mother, Sharonda, it means the world to them to be able to make an impact in this community and the way this community has impacted upon them.
I think when you see it start with a 19-year-old kid, it gives you a great deal of comfort in the future of this franchise that it’s in the right hands from a player perspective.
Griffin on @ZionWilliamson: "He really connects to this city. He cares deeply about our fans and this region." pic.twitter.com/cQGHNnpIP9
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 21, 2020
NBA commissioner Adam Silver offered an update on the status of the league and detailed the criteria for when they will consider returning to play, including playing in empty arenas and in front of fans. The thought is the NBA will return to play in June at the earliest.
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