“It’s the Basketball Hall of Fame, not the NBA Hall of Fame,” Marbury said. “So, for basketball, I played in Olympics, I played in the Junior Olympics. With what I’ve done and given to basketball is all Hall of Fame.”
Former Knicks guard Stephon Marbury is working to set up a deal to bring 10 million N95 masks to New York amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Rich Calder of the New York Post writes.
Marbury has arrangements with a company in China that’s willing to supply New York with the masks for $2.75 each, Calder notes, roughly five dollars below what many retailers have been quoting around the state.
“At the end of the day, I am from Brooklyn,” Marbury said. “This is something that is close and dear to my heart as far as being able to help New York. I have family there in Coney Island, a lot of family … who are affected by this, so I know how important it is for people to have masks during this time.”
Marbury played 14 NBA seasons before playing in the Chinese Basketball Association. With hopes of facilitating his idea, he reached out to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who has struggled to get in contact with Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio. Despite the situation being murky, Marbury’s intentions are clear.
“We’ve been communicating back and forth with the city and state, and for some reason they are saying they don’t need any more masks, but the hospitals are saying they do,” Adams said.
Here are some other notes related to the NBA’s hiatus:
- Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari has funded 400 COVID-19 testing kits, according to ESPN’s Royce Young. Gallinari partnered with the Oklahoma City-County Health Department to fund the kits and other equipment such as face shields, gloves, gowns and N95 masks. “There is a need, and so people in my position, if we can help, if I can help, it’s something that I feel that I want to do and I need to do,” Gallinari said.
- Jeff Van Gundy does not expect the NBA season to resume, as relayed by the Boston Globe. “We’re all underestimating the fear,” Van Gundy said. The NBA is still determining how to proceed amidst the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed over 30,000 lives globally as of Sunday night.
- Kevin Paul Depont of the Boston Globe examines why the NBA and NHL should consider canceling their seasons and shifting their respective focuses to September. Both leagues formally postponed their seasons just over two weeks ago due to COVID-19.