Giannis Antetokounmpo Donates $100K to Arena Staff During Coronavirus Suspension

Scott Polacek @@ScottPolacekFeatured ColumnistMarch 13, 2020

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo dribbles during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers Wednesday, March 4, 2020, in Milwaukee. The Bucks won 119-100. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Morry Gash/Associated Press

With the NBA season suspended because of concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and questions about how staff members and workers who largely depend on games for income will get paid, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is doing what he can to help.

The MVP candidate announced he and his family will donate $100,000 to Fiserv Forum workers, saying, "I want to help the people that make my life, my family's lives and my teammates' lives easier."

Giannis Antetokounmpo @Giannis_An34
It’s bigger than basketball! And during this tough time I want to help the people that make my life, my family’s lives and my teammates lives easier. Me and my family pledge to donate $100,000 to the Fiserv Forum staff. We can get through this together! 🙏🏽

After Giannis' announcement, the Bucks revealed they will match all player donations:

Milwaukee Bucks @Bucks
Following the donation of $100,000 by @Giannis_An34 to the impacted Fiserv Forum staff, the Bucks organization is proud to match all Bucks player donations to part-time arena workers. https://t.co/BV02TGua0z

Antetokounmpo's gesture follows a similar one from Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love.

Love announced he would also donate $100,000 to staff who work the Cavaliers' games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse with the following message on his Instagram page:

"I'm concerned about the level of anxiety that everyone is feeling and that is why I'm committing $100,000 through the @KevinLoveFund in support of the @Cavs arena and support staff that had a sudden life shift due to the suspension of the NBA season. I hope that during this time of crisis, others will join me in supporting our communities."

What's more, Dallas Mavericks governor Mark Cuban appeared on ESPN's Get Up and said, "We have a program where the next four would-have-been Mavs games, we'll pay our hourly employees as if they worked."

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Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Atlanta Hawks owner Tony Ressler will pay the team's part- and full-time employees during the NBA's suspension, while Mark Segraves of NBC 4 Washington reported Washington Wizards governor Ted Leonsis will do the same for his team's employees.

As far as a timetable, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver appeared on TNT's Inside the NBA and said the hiatus will last "at least 30 days," with decisions about whether the season will continue to be addressed in the future.

As of Friday, CNN noted there have been more than 125,000 cases of the coronavirus across the globe.