Los Angeles Lakers player Avery Bradley made the difficult decision to sit out 2020’s post-July NBA season amid the coronavirus pandemic because he has a son with a respiratory condition.
While the NBA bubble ended up being extremely successful, with zero positive coronavirus cases, Bradley remained at home, but he stayed busy — and stayed mindful of his fellow working-parent players.
Bradley and his wife, Ashley, reached out to the WNBA to see if there was any assistance needed to keep their version of the bubble safe for working women. The WNBA isolation “wubble” was held at a Florida prep school that had fewer amenities than the men’s league.
According to an interview with Forbes, Avery and Ashley Bradley donated more than $30,000 in supplies to help the WNBA players, with an emphasis on the league’s moms in the bubble. Bradley asked for a list of items the players might need to make their off-the-court experience just a little bit better, and then, he delivered.
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“Avery Bradley, underscoring the importance of family time, surprised W players with loads of indoor and outdoor games and other special touches that enriched the experiences of player-moms and their little ones,” said Terri Jackson, the WNBPA executive director.
“We appreciate our brothers in basketball,” she continued. “It was good to see greater communication and engagement this year as players prepared for the unknown in their bubble seasons in Florida.”
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According to the article, NBPA President Chris Paul and WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike, helming the pro basketball players’ unions, helped create a children’s corner at the Wubble.
Bradley said that he looks up to the women of the WNBA and other women who have been vocal in the fight for racial justice and the Black Lives Matter movement.
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“They’re role models. They lead by example,” Bradley said. “Our league can learn a lot from them, and we can help build each other. I look up to their leaders. What they’re able to stand for helped me be able to make a decision that was important for me and my family as a man, an African-American man, and me understanding how important it is to play that role in society.”
He told Forbes he donated because he just wanted WNBA players to know he cares.
Bradley does have much to celebrate. The Lakers ended their 2020 season with the 17th championship in franchise history.
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