The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been met with a mixed response from government officials on both the state and federal level. This has resulted in aid coming from unlikely places.
According to CBS News, former NBA player Stephon Marbury is working on getting 10 million N95 masks from China to New York City, the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States. Marbury spent a good portion of the last decade playing in the Chinese Basketball Association and was made head coach of the Beijing Royal Fighters in 2019.
From CBS News:
Marbury told the Post that he negotiated a deal that would allow New York to buy 10 million of the medical masks at $2.75 each—a cheaper rate than retailers in the state have reportedly been selling them for. The gear, which will go to hospital workers and first responders, would be delivered two million at a time over five weeks.
In a recent tweet, Marbury mentioned that he lost someone close to him due to COVID-19.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s team is currently “vetting the purchase” that Marbury had set up. New York has seen over 66, 400 cases and 1,200 deaths so far. In the last week alone we’ve seen auto companies start to manufacture ventilators to cover the shortages, companies like New Balance have shifted to making masks and we have people like Marbury doing what they can to provide masks and protective gear to the hospital workers and first responders who need it most.
While we may not be able to look at the current leadership for hope through this crisis at least there are still people stepping up and trying to help where they can.