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Sixers All-Star Joel Embiid to Donate $500k to Coronavirus Relief

Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid plans to donate $500,000 for coronavirus relief and plans to help out team employees who will see pay cuts from the organization.

Justin Grasso

Sixers All-Star Joel Embiid to Donate $500k to Coronavirus Relief
Sixers All-Star Joel Embiid to Donate $500k to Coronavirus Relief /

Late on Monday night, Philadelphia 76ers' Managing Partner Josh Harris had Sixers fans from all over, expressing their frustration towards the organization. While Harris and his company, Harris-Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, pledged to help out arena workers during this tough time, they also plan to cut down the pay for salaried employees who work for the Sixers and the New Jersey Devils by 20-percent staring in April.

As you can expect, many were fired up. For a moment, Harris and company were giving the Sixers a bad rap for their latest move. But the team's All-Star center, Joel Embiid, stepped up and gave the people of Philadelphia something to cheer for.

Like many players around the NBA, Embiid has decided to pledge some money of his own to some causes. On Tuesday morning, it has been announced that Joel Embiid intends on donating $500,000 to coronavirus relief to help with survival and protection efforts in the community as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

In addition to his donation, Embiid also plans to help out with the Sixers' salaried employees who will be affected by Harris and Co's pay cuts. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, "the amount toward 76ers employees is to be determined based upon who is affected."

The 26-year-old star center has been a part of the Sixers' organization for about six years now. Ever since his arrival in Philadelphia back in 2014, Embiid has quickly become a fan-favorite and established himself as the face of the franchise in today's game. This recent gesture by him will not be forgotten -- that's for sure.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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