Former Knicks Center Fighting For Israeli Hostage Release

Former New York Knicks center Eddy Curry is advocating for the release of Israeli hostages in the ongoing conflict with Hamas.

Oct 26, 2012; Dallas, Tx, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Eddy Curry (52) reacts to a foul call during the second half against the Charlotte Bobcats at the American Airlines Center. Dallas won 99-82. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Former New York Knick Eddy Curry is turning his focus on to Israel. While many of his contemporaries seek to continue their hardwood careers there, Curry is dedicating his time to a cause beyond basketball.

The 2001 lottery pick and former NBA center spoke to David Spector of the New York Post about his latest endeavor, uniting with Project Max, a non-profit whose website declares a mission of "fight(ing) racism, antisemitism, and intolerance through sports (and) leveraging advanced technology and the support of professional athletes."

Curry, who spent five seasons with the Knicks (2005-10) after entering the Association as Chicago's fourth overall pick, has taken a particular interest in the release of Israeli hostages captured by terror group Hamas on Oct. 7, which has led to the current conflict in the Middle East. The ongoing crisis is said to be the most deadly event in the region in over five decades.

“We want their children to come back home, just like we would want our children to come back home," Curry told Spector. "There are children just like ours here in America that are not home, that are being exposed to some of the most heinous acts anyone can imagine."

“The common goal here is to bring as many as the hostages home as we possibly can."

Apr 26, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Miami Heat center Eddy Curry (34) posts up as Washington Wizards forward Kevin Seraphin (13) defends during the first half at the Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Curry is one of several featured athletes on the site alongside fellow former Knicks Michael Sweetney and Jerome Williams, as well as other Madison Square Garden dwellers like former St. John's men's basketball coach Mike Jarvis and and New York Liberty draft pick Shay Doron.

The cause lies specifically close to Curry's heart due to a tragic incident he endured during his time with the Knicks: in 2009, his 10-month-old daughter Ava and the child's mother Nova Henry were murdered in Chicago.

To that end, Curry has "adopted" Kfir Bibas, a one-year-old Israeli child who is said to be one of the youngest, if not the youngest, hostage captured by Hamas. Bibas and his family, including parents Shiri and Yarden and older brother Ariel, were among those captured on Oct. 7, which was said to have carried the highest Jewish death toll since the Holocaust.

“Back when I was in New York, I lost a child to gun violence. Ever since then … it just reshaped my world," Curry explained. "To actually go through a loss like that … to know that there’s hostages and that there’s children involved, that just hit me in a certain place."

Though Curry struggled to live up to his top pick billing at times, he posted respectable numbers with the Knicks, averaging 15.2 points and 5.8 rebounds over his five years. Curry played 11 NBA seasons and 527 total games between Chicago, New York, Miami, and Dallas, earning a championship ring with the Heat in 2012.

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