In a time where it has become paramount to stay where you are, Dzanan Musa is a long way from home. But with the NBA season suspended during a global crisis, Brooklyn’s second-year swingman is committed to supporting his hometown of Bihac in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Musa has purchased and donated crucial medical equipment to his hometown hospital that will support their efforts to care for COVID-19 patients.
“I just saw on the internet that everybody’s worried that they don’t have medical supplies and I called the hospital and asked, ‘Do you need anything from me?”
The need was for monitors that help track a patient’s condition, but they were not available in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Musa tracked down a pair in Serbia and had them delivered on Friday.
“They will help the people in bad conditions, it will keep them alive and give them hope to live,” said Musa. “Those two machines are the first ones in Bosnia to ever come over there. The people there didn’t have those kind of machines, so I’m really happy I helped them get these.”
Musa’s brother Dzennis, who had joined him in the U.S. during Dzanan’s rookie season, is back home in Bihac. He helped facilitate the purchase of the equipment and delivered it to the hospital personally.
The National Basketball Players Association also contributed to the purchase, and Musa thanked the NBPA’s international liaison Ivan Maggi and executive director Michelle Roberts for their help.
In the month since the Nets last played, Musa has been staying in touch with teammates as well as family back home. He’s navigating the downtime with weights and stationary bike workouts in his apartment. When he wants to dribble a basketball, he goes up on his building’s rooftop. “I think the Brooklyn organization is a great organization,” said Musa. “They keep us together through Face Time workouts. I think that’s unique in the NBA, to have those relationships with GMs and Jacque (Vaughn). All the staff is calling us every day. Tiago Splitter is sending me clips every day of players I want to study like Manu Ginobili. It’s pretty nice that you feel like you're family.”