Marbury and Houston Join Players Association to Help Hurricane Victims
by Tom Kertes
NEW YORK, September 6, 2005 -- “When I see all those babies float in the river…I think about the kids…My kids…I just hug my own son….He doesn’t even know why….” With these words, Stephon Marbury broke down in uncontrollable sobs and simply could not continue.
This occurred at an unbelievably emotional Tuesday noon press conference given by the NBA Players Association, with the New York Knicks star point guard, backcourt-mate Allan Houston, NBAPA President Antonio Davis, and NBAPA Secretary-Treasurer Pat Garrity participating. New Orlerans Hornets forward P.J. Brown, whose new house in Slidell, Louisiana was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and NBAPA Director of Player Programs Purvis Short were on the telephone from the location of the disaster. “Last week I was authorized by the NBAPA to announce a contribution of at least one million dollars to the victims of Hurricane Katrina,” NBAPA Executive Director Billy Hunter said. “I am proud to announce that we will not only meet that obligation but our contribution will match our donation to the victims of the World Trade Center tragedy. This number was never previously publicized before but we actually gave 2.5 million dollars.”
The NBAPA, in conjunction with the Feed The Children Foundation, “will also maintain a continuous effort to provide help,” added Hunter. “This will not be a onetime thing, I assure you. We will help as long as help is needed. Nor does this amount include any individual contributions players may want to make.” According to Hunter, Kobe Bryant has already given $100,000, Baron Davis $60,000, Mavs forward Alan Henderson $100,000, and second-year Bulls’ guard Chris Duhon $30,000. “Our players are stepping up,” Hunter said. “They are anxious and willing to contribute not only their finances but also their time.”
On behalf of our teams and players, the NBA sends its thoughts and prayers to victims of Hurricane Katrina. We encourage fans to support the relief efforts by visiting RedCross.org or calling the Red Cross help line at 1-800-HELP-NOW.
A group of players are traveling to the site of the disaster to distribute food and other necessaries. NBA announcer Kenny Smith is also organizing a charity game to be held this Sunday in Houston with 35 NBA players participating and making further financial contributions.
Hunter stressed the importance of “our partnership with Feed The Children, an organization that we worked with before and an organization that as of today has 90 tractor-trailers on the road to deliver food to the Gulf Coast.”
“We know from our past association that Feed The Children has the capacity, has the know-how, and has the will to help,” added Hunter. “They’ve got the manpower, the resources, and the trucks.”
“The most important thing is that we don’t just give money and walk away,” said Davis. “We want people to know that we are willing to give our time. We want to be there to help people who lost everything to build a new home and find a new life. We want to be there in every way we can throughout what we know is going to be a long and arduous process.”
“These are times when we realize we are so fortunate just to breathe and walk,” Marbury attempted to continue. “We’ve got to come together…try to live as one…think about the way we treat people…I just keep looking at my kids…hold them so tight…” Marbury, who kept sobbing uncontrollably throughout the entire press conference, once again had to stop. In his stead, Hunter announced that “Stephon told me that he will donate somewhere between $500,000 and 1 million dollars.”
“My friend Lindsey Hunter just called me,” said Houston. “He’s already got a couple of trucks and went down to New Orleans to help with food, clothes, and whatever else people may need.” Brown told of “an overwhelming situation here in Slidell, Louisiana. People basically lost everything. There is no water. There is no electricity. There is no gas. Entire communities look completely devastated, like someone dropped the bomb.”
“The devastation is unimaginable,” Short reported from Mississippi. “Television can’t possibly do it justice. We will have to stay in this effort in order to provide real help -- it’s going to take YEARS for people to get back on their feet.”
“I have 55 more semi-trucks,” Feed The Children President Larry Jones said. “And warehouses all over the country. So tell your TV stations, newspapers, corporations, maybe you have a truckload of socks, or tee-shorts, or water. We’ll have to give these people water for months and months to come. It’s going to be a long haul. We’re not going to go the second mile, we’re going to have to go the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth mile to help these people. Like Stephon said, we all need to pull together right now. We are going to do just that. And we are going to work literally night and day to do everything that we can.”
NBA TV - New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury broke down into tears as he discussed the devestation stricken region in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He emphasized that it's not about the money; it's about getting as many people and their families to safety as fast as possible. 
