Kings players Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nemanja Bjelica joined forces with general manager Vlade Divac and his wife Anna last week to send aid to Serbia. Bogdanovic joined De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes to help support local Sacramento restaurants while providing more than a 1,000 meals to those in need.
This week, veteran point guard Cory Joseph is jumping in and helping out his hometown of Toronto, Canada during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the Kings, Joseph and his family are donating face shields to thousands of hospital workers on the frontlines in the Toronto area.
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“It is heartbreaking to witness the effects of this pandemic around the world, so I wanted to do my part to help where I grew up,” Joseph said via press release. “The courageous work of the hospital community is admirable, and it is important to help protect them. I look forward to providing support in Toronto along with upcoming community efforts throughout Canada and Sacramento as we fight this virus together.”
The Josephs, along with Kings chief of staff and assistant coach Roy Rana, are teaming up with Frontier, Sunnybrook Foundation and University Health Network to provide the needed equipment.
“This is a tragic situation for all of us, and at the same time it is inspiring to see Cory’s leadership in this effort,” Rana said in the release. “I am honored to help him aid these healthcare heroes back home while they put their lives on the line to save others.”
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Joseph joined the Kings in the summer of 2019 as a free agent after playing last season with the Indiana Pacers. A native of Pickering, Canada, Joseph is the captain of the Canadian national basketball team.
This is all part of the Kings’ “In This Together” initiative to give back during the coronavirus pandemic. The team already has donated the Arco property, the team’s former basketball facility, as a surge hospital. The franchise also pledged $250,000 to community organizations, as well as 100,000 medical grade masks to state and local hospitals.