LA Lakers star Pau Gasol is one of the more charitable NBA players and he proved it again when he raised funds for the victims of super typhoon Haiyan in central Philippines.
Pledging to donate $1,000 for every point he scores against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night to the UNICEF for rehabilitation efforts in the Philippines, Gasol played perhaps his best offensive game of the season scoring 24 points and leading the Lakers to a 102-95 victory. He will be donating $24,000.
"I definitely had that motivation of scoring tonight for the Philippines. Once I started knocking down those outside shots, it opened things up for me,'' he told SI.com.
The Lakers forward-center also encouraged his Twitter followers to pledge any amount for the typhoon victims in the Philippines, particularly millions of children who were displaced by the storm. The year's most powerful tropical storm, Haiyan has affected millions of families in central Philippines which has also been reeling from the effects of monsoon flooding and a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
"I am helping UNICEF raise money for their efforts on the ground...I am pledging $1,000 for every point I score at the Lakers game on Friday (November 22nd) to The U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Will you help too? ," Gasol wrote in Crowdrise.com.
He continued: " Join me by pledging $1, $5, $10, $20, or however much you can, for every point that I score Friday night. If you join me in pledging per point, please send me atweet to let me know. Together we can help make a difference for the children of the Philippines! Your generosity will help UNICEF provide access to lifesaving care and support to millions of children in the Philippines."
His former coach Phil Jackson replied to the appeal, pledging $50 per point, $50 per rebound and $1000 for every charge taken by the Spanish.
The LA Lakers have already donated $150,000 to relief efforts in the Philippines, a basketball-loving nation of more than 100 million people.
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