Mavs owner Mark Cuban has teamed up with Luka Doncic, Dwight Powell and the Dallas Mavericks Foundation in donating $500,000 to support childcare for healthcare workers who are battling COVID-19, according to an official release from the team.
According to the Mavs' report, the money will go to The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Hospital. Funding will be allocated to support childcare for healthcare workers at these facilities.
Last week, the NBA officially announced that it has suspended the 2019-20 regular season due to ongoing concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert was the first player in the league to be diagnosed. His teammate, Donovan Mitchell, tested positive shortly after. Several more players have tested positive in the days since.
At this point, it's not clear when this season might resume. Cuban, who learned of the regular season suspension on live television, suggested that games could be played all the way into July (or even August). Whether or not this theory comes to fruition remains to be seen.
“We're paying (employees) as if the Mavs games are taking place,” Cuban said in a recent interview with CNN. “They are not going to miss a paycheck at all. It wasn't an option. It was the right thing to do.”
https://twitter.com/CuomoPrimeTime/status/1240454996166168593?s=20
Several other players around the NBA have made donations in light of the coronavirus pandemic — be it to food banks or healthcare facilities. Cavs star Kevin Love donated $100,000 to support arena workers amid the season suspension, which prompted a series of further donations from other athletes. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zion Williamson and Blake Griffin also made sizable donations to hourly workers at their arenas.