Kyrie Irving is helping some of his fellow pro basketball players during this difficult time.
The Brooklyn Nets point guard is committing $1.5 million for WNBA players who chose to opt out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns or the fight for social justice.
According to Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press, "The funds will come from the KAI Empowerment Initiative that Irving launched Monday. It will also provide players with a financial literacy program created by UBS."
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The new WNBA season began Saturday. Similar to the NBA, the WNBA is playing its games without fans inside of a bubble in Florida (IMG Academy in Bradenton).
Irving has been vocal in helping/urging players to use their voice and platform to bring about real change in the battle against racial injustice following George Floyd's death in Minneapolis in May. The former Boston Celtics star also has been very generous in helping people affected by the pandemic, including a $323,000 donation to Feeding America in March to help provide meals for those in need.
The Nets are one of the 22 teams in the Orlando bubble taking part in the NBA's 2019-20 season restart. Irving did not join the team because he's rehabbing from shoulder surgery he had earlier this year.
Irving signed with the Nets as a free agent last summer after spending two seasons with the Celtics. The veteran point guard averaged a career-high 27.4 points with 6.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds in 20 games for the Nets during the 2019-20 campaign.