NBA star Klay Thompson has been visiting his family in the Bahamas since he was a kid. Now, in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, he’s giving back.
Thompson is raising money for relief efforts in the island nation, he announced in an Instagram post Friday. Dorian devastated the northern islands — killing over 40 people and leaving over a thousand more missing.
In the post, he said 100% of the proceeds from his second annual Thompson Family Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament, scheduled for September 19 and 20, will go toward relief efforts throughout the Bahamas.
But the Golden State Warriors’ guard isn’t stopping there. He said the foundation would match all the money raised.
“We will be focused on not only the short-term, but also the long-term relief, while working with local personnel to provide impactful support to the area and people in need,” he said.
In a caption following the announcement, Thompson called the last few weeks “unimaginably hard” for Bahamians.
“People have lost everything — loved ones, family, possessions, homes,” he wrote. “Whatever you cherish it’s gone for these communities. This is far from a quick fix, it will take years and years of rebuilding.”
Thompson, 29, whose father is Bahamian, said he’s been lucky to be able to visit his family in Nassau since he was a child. He slammed the Trump administration for not allowing temporary protected status to those affected by Dorian.
“I’ve seen countless Americans use the Bahamian islands as their playground for letting loose and vacationing. And now we turn our back on the people who welcomed us with open arms, when they’ve lost everything !? There’s no excuse for this,” he wrote.
The Thompson Family Foundation was created in 2018 by Klay and the rest of the members of the his immediate family, who are all listed as co-founders.
