NEW YORK – Kyrie Irving is helping to ensure that WNBA players can get through the season without stressing over a paycheck.
The Brooklyn Nets star is pledging $ 1.5 million to supplement the income of players who choose not to play this season, either for coronavirus reasons or for social justice reasons.
Funding will come from the KAI Empowerment Initiative that Irving launched on Monday. It will also provide players with a financial education program created by UBS.
Irving said that with the help of WNBA players Natasha Cloud, who chose to sit down, and Jewell Loyd, he connected with several WNBA players who discussed with him the challenges they faced in deciding whether to play. The season started on Saturday and will be played in full at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
He decided to help with the financial burden in a league where the top annual salary is just over $ 200,000.
“Whether a person has decided to fight for social justice, play basketball, focus on physical or mental health, or simply connect with their families, this initiative can support their priorities and decisions,” Irving said in a statement.
Players like Cloud and Renee Montgomery from Atlanta chose not to play for reasons of social reform. It is unclear how many players will qualify for the Irving program.
To be eligible, players must provide information about the circumstances surrounding their decision and not receive salary support from any other entity. A medical exclusion must be connected to the coronavirus pandemic.
Players can obtain information on the KAI Empowerment Initiative website. They must submit their application by August 11, and recipients will be notified on August 24.
Irving is not with the Nets for the NBA season restart while recovering from shoulder surgery. He has voiced his opinion on social justice issues and recently produced a special television call for action in the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old black emergency medical technician who was shot eight times on March 13 in Louisville, Kentucky, by plainclothes officers. Fulfilling a narcotics search warrant without calling your department. No drugs were found.
WNBA players used Taylor’s name on their jerseys during the opening weekend.
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