Page 20 - ARUBA TODAY
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A20    SPORTS
                   Saturday 21 March 2020
            Without games, NBA players using their platforms in new way



            By TIM REYNOLDS                                                                                                     after  the  NBA's  shutdown
            AP Basketball Writer                                                                                                because  of  the  virus  went
            Cleveland's Kevin Love did                                                                                          into  effect.  In  less  than  a
            his best to reassure a skittish                                                                                     week  across  all  platforms
            and  scared  public.  Den-                                                                                          —  NBA.com,  Facebook,
            ver's Jamal Murray sat at his                                                                                       Instagram,  Twitter  and  Tik
            piano  and  played  theme                                                                                           Tok — the videos collected
            songs. Atlanta's Trae Young                                                                                         more than 36 million views,
            shot balled-up socks into a                                                                                         or  reaching,  on  average,
            trash  can.  Miami's  Goran                                                                                         70 people every second.
            Dragic,  in  his  native  Slove-                                                                                    "Just  a  reminder  to  make
            nian,  told  people  to  stay                                                                                       sure  you  guys  wash  your
            inside.                                                                                                             hands, avoid large crowds
            This is the new NBA normal                                                                                          and  if  you  might  be  sick,
            in  a  coronavirus-dominat-                                                                                         quarantine  yourself,"  Port-
            ed world.                                                                                                           land  guard  Damian  Lillard
            Even  without  games,  the                                                                                          said  in  his  PSA.  "This  is  only
            league is trying to engage                                                                                          a  virus  that  we  can  beat
            and  even  encourage  fans                                                                                          together."  Toronto  coach
            in these tough times.                                                                                               Nick  Nurse  was  one  of
            So  far,  almost  20  current                                                                                       many  who  spoke  about
            and  former  players  have                                                                                          the need to listen to medi-
            partnered  with  the  NBA                                                                                           cal professionals and wash
            and WNBA for a new sort of                                                                                          hands  frequently;  the  offi-
            public-service  announce-                                                                                           cial guideline is 20 seconds,
            ment  as  the  world  contin-  Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love, right, and Matthew Dellavedova celebrate after Love made a   Nurse suggested raising the
                                         three-point shot in overtime in an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Sunday,
            ues dealing with the coro-   March 8, 2020, in Cleveland. The Cavaliers won 132-129 in overtime.                    bar to 24 seconds in a nod
            navirus   pandemic     that                                                                        Associated Press  to the NBA shot clock.
            is  known  to  have  struck                                                                                         "This  is  one  time  we  don't
            about    a   quarter-million  ing  homeschooled  ...  we  to announce a donation to  think  the  unknown  is  what  mind  a  shot  clock  viola-
            people  worldwide,  killed  have to reach them."          help arena employees who  really scares us," Love said.  tion," Nurse said.
            nearly  10,000  and  has  es-  Love's PSA, released earlier  aren't  at  work  right  now  "So,  it's  completely  normal  Other  NBA  players  are
            sentially  shut  down  sports  this  week,  went  for  nearly  because  of  the  shutdown.  to  feel  this  way  and  what  making  sure  to  keep  their
            around the globe.            three  minutes  and  was  a  He  gave  $100,000  and  people  are  feeling  is  nor-   social-media  contact  with
            "We're  able  to  reach  a  continuation of sorts of the  has  been  raising  money  mal. And I think that just be-  fans  up  in  different  ways.
            number  probably  in  the  conversation  he's  been  through his Kevin Love Fund  ing isolated at your home,  Phoenix's  Frank  Kaminsky
            hundreds of millions, but as  having  publicly  for  some  to directly donate to men-  it's tough to stay away from  and New Orleans' JJ Redick
            far as kids go, tens of millions  time  about  mental  health.  tal  health  organizations  this  24-hour  news  cycle  are among the players who
            of kids just by pressing send  "Now  more  than  ever,  we  working  with  high-risk  chil-  where  all  people  are  get-  have  dropped  podcasts
            on an NBA PSA," Love said.  have to practice compas-      dren and teens who need  ting are things that will send  this week, and the Los An-
            "So for me, it was consider-  sion.  ...  We  need  more  of  help with their mental well-  them down a slippery slope  geles Lakers' LeBron James
            ing that community aspect  that," Love said in his video.  being. Love didn't hesitate  and  in  a  spiral  because  it  took  his  enormous  follow-
            as well as, you know, think-  Love went public two years  before  deciding  whether  just  seems  to  be  so  nega-  ing  inside  his  home  for  a
            ing  of  young  kids  now  be-  ago  about  his  struggles  to talk directly to fans.  tive."                       45-minute  live  video  Thurs-
            ing  at  home  being  home-  with  depression  and  was  "This  is  just  incredibly  anxi-  The  league  started  these  day night while he played
            schooled,  at-risk  youth  be-  one of the first NBA players  ety-ridden,  stressful,  and  I  PSAs on March 13, two days  cards with his family.q
            Former FIBA head Borislav Stankovic dies





                                                                      BELGRADE,  Serbia  (AP)  —  in the late 1980s and early  most  important  figures  in
                                                                      Borislav  Stankovic,  the  for-  '90s  to  bring  world  basket-  the history of our sport."
                                                                      mer  longtime  International  ball into the modern era.   As  a  player,  he  helped
                                                                      Basketball  Federation  sec-  That  resulted  in  American  Red Star Belgrade win two
                                                                      retary  general  responsible  professional players partici-  national  titles,  in  1946  and
                                                                      for bringing NBA players to  pating  in  the  top-level  na-  1947, and had 36 caps for
                                                                      the Olympics, has died, the  tional  team  competitions,  Yugoslavia, including at the
                                                                      governing  body  said.  He  starting  at  the  Barcelona  inaugural  Basketball  World
                                                                      was 94.                      Olympics in 1992.            Cup in 1950 in Buenos Aires,
                                                                      Stankovic was at the helm  For  his  contributions  to  the  Argentina.
                                                                      of  FIBA  from  1976  to  2002  game,  he  was  inducted  As  a  coach,  he  captured
                                                                      and  was  a  member  of  into  the  Basketball  Hall  of  four  Yugoslav  league  ti-
                                                                      the  International  Olympic  Fame in Springfield, Massa-  tles  and  one  in  the  Italian
                                                                      Committee.                   chusetts in 1991.            league.
                                                                      During  his  leadership,  he  FIBA Secretary General An-  Stankovic died in Belgrade,
                                                                      was  credited  with  working  dreas Zagklis said in a state-  the  Serbian  capital.  The
                                                                      toward building bridges be-  ment "as the leader of the  cause of his death was not
            In this Sunday, Aug. 22, 2010 file photo, FIBA Secretary General   tween East and West during  International   Basketball  given.
            Emeritus Borislav Stankovic smiles before a friendly basketball   the Cold War and working  Federation for a quarter of  He  is  survived  by  one
            match Serbia against China, in Belgrade, Serbia.          closely  with  the  then-NBA  a century, Borislav Stankov-  daughter    and     two
                                                     Associated Press   Commissioner  David  Stern  ic will always be one of the  granddaughters.q
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