Charles Barkley took to TNT's Inside The NBA to advocate for Tony Snell amid his heartbreaking healthcare issue with his children. Snell aims to secure a spot on an NBA team's active roster by Friday, signing for the remainder of the season. This would complete his 10th year of service, granting eligibility for the Players Association's retiree benefits program.
Charles Barkley calls on NBA teams to sign Tony Snell after a viral article from @YahooSports this week detailed the veteran forward's need for medical coverage for his two children with Autism pic.twitter.com/VOgk2RF73o
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 2, 2024
Additionally, it would make him eligible for the union's premium medical plan, providing coverage for his entire family, including his two young sons, Karter and Kenzo, who have both been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Snell was also diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in 2023. Snell's unique and touching story was highlighted in an article on Yahoo Sports written by Jake Fischer.
“I read an article yesterday. Tony Snell [needing to be signed] by the end of this week because he's got two kids with autism and he needs to play to the end of the year to get a 10-year medical right to help him take care of his two autistic kids. I'm hoping, you know, man, the NBA has been great to all of us sitting up here. You know, and you guys gonna be playing basketball forever making gazillion dollars. I hope one of you guys sign Tony, so his two autistic kids can get great medical care.”
Kenny highlighted that Adam Silver and the NBA have the power to help Snell by giving him an exception. However, Barkley was adamant about a team signing Snell before the deadline.
“I'm just saying. I hope a team signs him for the rest of the season because you know, I don't know a lot about autism. I'm not going to say it, but man, I know it's got to be expensive to have two young kids with that situation. So I'm hoping the NBA, we always talk about what a family we are. Let's, let's sign that kid for the rest of the season.”
As of the time of this writing, there are no reports of teams looking to sign Snell nor the NBA or Player Association providing the benefits for him on an exemption in the instance that he isn't signed before the deadline.
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