The team released a statement on Friday that the Warriors would make the donation to aid the over 1,000 part-time employees who provide services for the arena during the regular season. The Warriors were scheduled to play seven more games at their home arena in San Francisco this season, when the league decided to postpone the season.
“The last few days have been extremely challenging for all Bay Area citizens as we deal with the hourly changes in this unprecedented situation,” Warriors CEO and co-executive chairman Joe Lacob said in a statement. “Our players, coaches, ownership and management have been focused on creating a way to assist our part time employees. We are addressing the potential hardships these hard-working individuals may encounter during this hiatus in the NBA season. While everyone and every business is impacted, those who are fortunate enough to be in a position to help, need to help.”
Warriors star Stephen Curry also said that the players wanted to help those who provide a great experience for the games. “The men and women who work our games at Chase Center are critical in providing an incredible game-night experience for our fans, including of course, the popcorn vendors,” he said in the team’s announcement. “As players, we wanted to do something, along with our ownership and coaches, to help ease the pain during this time.”
The Warriors are the latest team to announce a major donation to help the venue staff affected by the league’s suspension. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love announced he was donating $100,000 to help support the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse arena employees during the difficult time.
“Through the game of basketball, we’ve been able to address major issues and stand together as a progressive league that cares about the players, the fans, and the communities where we work. 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,” Love wrote in an Instagram post on Friday. “I hope that during this time of crisis, others will join me in supporting our communities.”
A post shared by Kevin Love (@kevinlove) on Mar 12, 2020 at 2:36pm PDT
Love thanked Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert in a later post for compensating arena staff during the suspension.
The New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson, Detroit Pistons’ Blake Griffin, and Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo each donated $100,000 to their respective team’s venues staffs to help ease the burden that employees may face during the suspension.
A post shared by Zion Williamson (@zionwilliamson) on Mar 13, 2020 at 2:24pm PDT
