NBA Stars Deliver the Goods
Posted: Sept. 11, 2005
When lives and houses are destroyed, and people find themselves displaced and homeless, sometimes the only thing left is hope. Hope that someday soon life will get better. Hope that they can find a home and begin to rebuild an existence that resembles some sort of normalcy and stability for their families.
More than 30 NBA stars, including Suns All-Star Amaré Stoudemire, traveled to Houston on Sunday with designs on trying to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina see that hope, as well as provide them with the basic staples of life that can be so easy to take for granted.
The players donated the funds and manpower to facilitate the delivery of goods to dozens of the shelters in the area temporarily housing evacuees from the Gulf Coast, after the massive storm that decimated New Orleans and many surrounding communities.
The morning began with a gathering at a Houston storage facility which served as a warehouse for the food, water and medical supplies to be distributed to those most in need.
“It’s really cool to see the players,” said Compass Bank’s David Davis, whose employees organized the truckloads of goods for distribution. “But it’s going to be even neater to see the expressions on the kids’ faces when they see these players. That will be the best part.”
The convoy of trucks and vans then headed to the Houston Astrodome, where thousands of evacuees have been living in an enormous temporary shelter, as they begin to put the pieces of their life back together after the Grade 4 hurricane slammed into Louisiana and Mississippi on Aug. 29.
The players spent more than an hour greeting the evacuees, posing for pictures, signing autographs and most importantly, letting them know that they care about them and their future.
“The main thing is to give these kids and their families some hope that they can still survive,” Stoudemire said between holding babies and liberally doling out much-needed hugs. “It’s tough. I’ve been in that predicament. They can’t do what they want to do, it’s hard for them to get a job, and it’s hard for them to eat. We’re just here to show support and guide them on the right track.”
Former Rockets guard and current TNT commentator Kenny Smith pulled together the massive relief effort in little over a day. Many of the players had already begun to contribute on their own and welcomed the chance to provide support as a group.
“When he called me, I didn’t actually know what it was all about until he broke it down to me,” said Stoudemire. “Once he told me were going to visit the kids who were down here in Houston, it was a great opportunity for me and something I jumped on.
“It’s all about trying to get them on the right track and give them a little hope, keep their faith alive. I see a lot of my people struggling and I’m really trying to show a lot of support and get them on the right track, and do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
The stories of struggle and loss have been widely reported in the last two weeks, but to see the people and hear their plights firsthand put the players’ efforts in an even bigger perspective. To see the smiles on the faces of those who have suffered was more than enough reward for the assistance provided.
“These are the most important autographs I’ve ever given,” said Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade. “I’m happy to come out here and scribble my name when it means so much to so many people.
“Words don’t describe the feeling when you can bring a smile to people’s faces just shaking hands, giving them a hug and by smiling at them. After everything that’s happened to them I just wanted to see them smile.”
Al Stoller is a Red Cross volunteer who used vacation time from work to fly down from his home in Fort Wayne, Ind. and help.
Stoller said the response has been incredible and is proud the way the nation has reacted after such a horrible tragedy.
“We’ve set up complete daycare centers, a small hospital,” he said of the Astrodome facility. “We asked for computers and we got 200 computers. We asked for water and we got more water than we could ever drink. We asked for food and we got more food than we can ever eat. We asked for clothes and they’re just pouring in – clothes, shoes and bedding. The country has really come together.
“To start a city – and that’s what this is, a city – that quickly and help this many people who have been stressed out for days, it’s just amazing the way this thing has come together. It seems like chaos, but it really is well run (laughs).
“It’s sad that it takes a big catastrophe like this to bring the country together, but it’s great to know that when the country does need to come together, we can.”
An unsung hero in the relief efforts has been the city Houston and state of Texas, which welcomed its neighbors with open arms and provided a stable environment as they look to begin life anew.
“You’ve got to give great props to Texas,” said Suns assistant coach Alvin Gentry, who grew up in the Lone Star State. “They’ve done a great job with everything, considering the situation. The city of Houston has been unbelievable in what they’ve done. There’s got to be something great done for this city because they’ve taken the evacuees in, and they’ve done a great job of placing them in homes and getting them jobs. Go Texas, man!”
To people like Berlinda Price, going to Texas after the horrors of staying at the New Orleans Superdome for a week was like coming “out from the darkness and into the light.”
With an extended family of 17, the memory of the hurricane and its aftermath will live on in the lives of the people from the region for a very long time.
“We were living in darkness," Price said. "We saw fist-fighting; you had to fight for meals. You had to take shifts watching and protecting your family. I came here with the same clothes I had on. The little children were dying from dehydration and heat stroke, and the elderly didn’t stand a chance.
“I know time heals all wounds, but it’s going to be a very long time for us to forget about what we’ve been through.”
As for Sunday’s visit by Stoudemire and the rest of the NBA’s best and brightest, Price called it the highlight of their stay.
“With all the people that have come and visited, this was the first actual contact my family had with visitors. This was the first day my family actually had close contact with somebody that has come up in here. This was the best day we’ve had in two weeks.”
As for the future beyond Sunday’s feel-good visit, Price is optimistic that her family will be able to move on and recreate the structure that was lost in the storm.
“My main thing is to rebuild my family values back up – to stabilize and go from there. Stability is first and then school. School is very important and I understand that, but how can you send a child to school when they’re still mentally abused about the situation they’re in? We don’t know where we’re going to live, so the most important thing is the living arrangement.”
 (Steven J. Koek/Suns Photos) |
“I was stuck in my home, so they brought me to the Superdome,” he said. “Then from there, they bused us here. The people of Houston have been showing us a lot of love. They’ve been giving us food and clothing. Now I’m just ready to get home and after that everything will be straight.”
Carter’s smile never dimmed as he filled up his shirt with autographs from players he had previously admired only from afar.
“It’s great,” he beamed. “I never met any one of them in person, so it’s a very big pleasure and I’m very grateful for that. They produced a lot of smiles today.”
In organizing the event, which included an NBA Players Hurricane Relief Game on Sunday night at Houston’s Toyota Center, Smith felt that more than just an exhibition of basketball was needed and asked each player to donate a minimum of $10,000.
“This is the biggest day, in terms of anything I’ve done in basketball or sports-wise, ever,” he said. “We’re trying to help people who really can’t help themselves as much as they normally can.”
“We’ve got great guys in this league,” Gentry added. “We’ve got tenderhearted and caring guys that when something like this comes about, they’re willing to drop everything they’re doing and come down here and talk to the kids. It speaks volumes about the majority of the guys we have in the NBA.”
"There were no losers”
With all of the goods delivered and the displaced families having a chance to mingle with true basketball superstars, the players gathered at the Toyota Center to put on a show for the evacuees and the scores of volunteers, who have helped them to begin the process of recovery.
Still a few weeks away from training camp for the upcoming season, the players were a bit rusty, but no one seemed to notice or care. Stoudemire put on his typical power display and led all scorers at the half. But the game was not about passing, scoring or rebounding. It was about giving a community the sorely needed outlet of a night’s worth of entertainment.
“The game tonight was a great game for a great cause, strictly for the victims of Katrina,” STAT said. “I think the kids and the families that were affected by the hurricane got a little hope. A job well done by Kenny Smith and crew and also the players.
“We had injuries that could have taken place, but we came out here and did it for the love. That’s what it’s all about.”
In addition to Stoudemire, the Suns were represented with Gentry as one of the head coaches and Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins by his side as his assistant.
“It was tremendous,” Gentry said. “When you see all of these great guys on the court together, it’s unbelievable just to sit there and watch them play, and I had the best seat in the house for a great pick-up game.
“I just think there was so much love in here. The fans really appreciated what the guys did and I think the guys appreciate what all of the volunteers have done. There were no losers.”
“It was really nice for the guys to dedicate their time,” said another Suns alumnus, TNT’s Charles Barkley, who himself donated $1 million to the cause. “It was nice for the people to come to and it was nice for TNT. It was just a great day for the NBA because if the guys do something wrong, they get blamed, and if they do something good, they should be commended also.”
Throughout the day, there were enough memories to last a lifetime. Smith remembered one such moment that will continue to define the efforts for him as time goes on.
“I just remember someone telling me, 'My son hadn’t smiled until you NBA players came in here,’” he recalled. “That’s what it’s about. It’s amazing because it gives you hope.
“It was the most important basketball game that’s ever been played – ever.”
