The coronavirus pandemic disproportionately affected Black business owners more than any group. As such, many initiatives were initiated by the state and corporate America to support Black business owners.
Some of the initiatives have been led by celebrities and sports personalities to mitigate the effect of the pandemic. NBA star Jrue Holiday has also joined the fray and decided to support Black businesses and charity groups in line with the season of giving.
The Milwaukee Bucks guard announced that he will be donating the remaining of his NBA salary to small Black-owned businesses and nonprofits.
“With the COVID-19 Pandemic and heightened racial injustices in 2020, many of us have been looking for answers. Lauren & I found ourselves searching for ways to help our community at a time when they needed it most,” Jrue said in an Instagram post.
“Pledging the remainder of our 2020 NBA salary to small black-owned businesses, nonprofits and initiatives is how we felt we could make a lasting impact.”
Jrue continued, “According to @google, in 2020, worldwide searches for “support small business” doubled compared to the previous year. It’s encouraging to know that in a time when we could all use a helping hand, we are still searching for ways to help one another. Know that you are not alone in your search for answers.”
The NBA star did not disclose the exact amount he was donating but according to Revolt, he earned around $26 million for the 2019-20 season.
According to NBA, this is not the first time the NBA star has donated money to support people and nonprofit organizations. In New Orleans, he donated up to $1.5 million to non-profit organizations and Black-owned businesses.
In Los Angeles/Compton he donated $1.5 million and $1 million to Black-owned businesses in 10 other cities across the country. Also, he donated $500,000 to HBCUs and other educational institutions.
