Stephon Marbury Wants to Help Deliver 10M Masks to NY Amid Coronavirus Shortage

Former NBA star Stephon Marbury is using his connections in China to attempt to supply New York hospitals with 10 million N95 masks at a discount, according to Rich Calder of the New York Post.

Thanks to Marbury, the mask supplier in China will sell the state masks "at cost" for $2.75 each to help supply medical workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had said suppliers were trying to sell masks for $7.50 each amid the current crisis, according to Bob Ivry and Brandon Kochkodin of Bloomberg.

After learning of the shortage within New York City, Marbury reached out to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams while helping broker the deal with the new supplier.

"At the end of the day, I am from Brooklyn," he 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."

Julia Arredondo, spokeswoman for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, confirmed that Adams reached out to City Hall about the masks supplier, per the Post. 

But they have yet to iron out details, which means no purchases have been made. 

New York has been hit especially hard by COVID-19, with over 52,000 cases as of Sunday, per CNN.com. There are more than 120,000 cases nationwide.

Marbury was able to see the damage from the global pandemic even earlier from his home in Beijing, where he has been a coach in the China Basketball Association. He was a player in the CBA from 2010 to '18 after a 13-year career in the NBA.

The 43-year-old spent two weeks in quarantine in China before going outside with a mask:

He is now doing his part to help those near his hometown.