The third overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, following in the footstops of the No. 1 overall pick and many other NBA stars, has made a huge impact on the world during the current pandemic.
Immediately after the league was shut down due to coronavirus, Pelicans rookie forward Zion Williamson pledged a portion of his salary to help cover the lost salaries of Smoothie King Center employees. Now that the situation has ballooned to an unthinkable level, we've seen several other NBA player chip in for a good cause. Barrett, just 19 years old, made a generous donation in the same vein to help those struggling with the COVID-19 crisis.
It's an incredibly well-thought-out plan, regardless of his age.
The news initially came from Kirsten Fleming of the New York Post, who shared Barrett's inspiring coronavirus story. Though he's spending his time in South Florida with his family, he couldn't forget the his and his family's roots and donated various pieces of clothing, meals and more to parts of New York and Canada. While the majority of his donation to New York focused on the needs of medical professionals, Barrett focused on the issue of food shortages in Canada, contributing $100,000 to the Mississauga Food Bank. Of course, he showed Madison Square Garden and the Knicks some love with an additional $25,000 to the MSG Relief Fund.
RJ Barrett has made $250K worth of donations to COVID-19 relief efforts in New York and Canada that include:▪️ 200,000 meals▪️ Face masks▪️ Gowns▪️ KN95 masks▪️ Disposable face shields▪️ Microporous disposable coveralls pic.twitter.com/LcP6PaHDqr
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) April 20, 2020Barrett is the second New York athlete who's noticeably young that has made a meaningful contribution to the societal fight against coronavirus. Last week, Jets' star Quinnen Williams donated $25,000-worth of food to medical professionals in the New York-North Jersey area.
