Nick Kyrgios pledges $200 per ace to aid bushfire victims, NBL star LaMelo Ball digs deep to help
Nick Kyrgios and NBA-bound basketball star LaMelo Ball have pledged to dig deep and donate big bucks in support of bushfire victims around Australia.
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Nick Kyrgios has pledged $200 for each ace he serves across the Australian summer of tennis to support victims of bushfires raging around the country, while LaMelo Ball will donate a month of his NBL salary to support victims of the tragic NSW fires.
Tennis Australia say plans are in place to support those impacted by the country’s bushfires after star Nick Kyrgios’s proposal for a charity exhibition match to raise funds ahead of this month’s Australian Open gained rapid support.
The world No. 30 posted his idea to Twitter late on Wednesday and by Thursday afternoon the concept was gathering pace.
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I’m kicking off the support for those affected by the fires. I’ll be donating $200 per ace that I hit across all the events I play this summer. #MoreToCome #StayTuned
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) January 2, 2020
I like this I will go $250 per ace, just because I don’t think I’ll be hitting as many aces as you mate. 😂😂😂 #dropthehammer https://t.co/SxMPs3XQud
— alex de minaur (@alexdeminaur) January 2, 2020
I’m not at your level boys but I want to get involved. $100 for an ace over the Australian summer. #servingupsomehelp https://t.co/eIwIH0xTXT
— John Millman (@johnhmillman) January 2, 2020
My boy 💦💦💦💦🔥 https://t.co/JaaVDabwXk
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) January 2, 2020
“The more exposure it gets I think we have the potential to do something pretty special there,” Kyrgios said ahead of the inaugural ATP Cup, where he’ll represent Australia in Brisbane from Friday.
“All the heartbreak this summer; it’s pretty tragic what’s going on, especially with my hometown, Canberra, being under a bit of smoke, the most hazardous smoke in the world at the moment.
“To see Canberra like that, it’s pretty tough to see.”
Kyrgios later tweeted that he would donate $200 for every ace he hit this summer while Aussie teammate Alex de Minaur responded saying he’d go to $250 per ace because “I don’t think I’ll be hitting as many aces as you mate.”
Illawarra Hawks guard LaMelo Ball has donated one month of his salary to victims of the tragic NSW fires.
“It’s sad to see what is happening on the South Coast of Australia. People have lost their homes and everything they own” the NBA-bound guard said on Friday.
“My parents taught me to help out wherever I can, so this is my way of helping out.”
Ball’s minder, Jermaine Jackson, confirmed to The Daily Telegraph that Ball felt compelled to help out after seeing the devastation of lost homes and lives.
Ball’s kindness comes a day before the Illawarra Hawks take on Melbourne United at the WIN Entertainment Centre.
The Hawks, in partnership with the Illawarra Mercury, will be raising money for the Salvation Army Disaster Appeal, which is also helping victims of Australia’s bushfires.
On Thursday morning Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said the public should “stay tuned” for the announcement of a number of initiatives, beginning at the inaugural ATP Cup to be played between Sydney, Perth and Brisbane from Friday.
Many of the game’s headline acts, including world No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Novak Djokovic, are in Australia to play in the newly-minted teams event ahead of the year’s first grand slam at Melbourne Park.
Last year Kyrgios, John Millman, Nadal and Milos Raonic played an exhibition match in Sydney in a Team Australia vs Team World Fast4 format.
Australia ATP Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt said the Australian Open’s status as one of the country’s biggest events meant they had a platform to provide significant support.
“Christmas and the new year should be a happy time for these families and lots of these people are doing it pretty tough out there,” he said.
“So I think all of us feel like we would like to help in some way.”
The deadly fires continue to burn across the country and Tiley said Tennis Australia “wanted to help these communities in a meaningful way”.
“For weeks we’ve been watching the devastation caused by bushfires across Australia and the people affected are constantly in our thoughts,” he said.
“We … will announce a number of fund raising and support initiatives that will be rolled out across the ATP Cup, Australian Open and our other events over the coming weeks.
“Stay tuned for further announcements.”
Originally published as Nick Kyrgios pledges $200 per ace to aid bushfire victims, NBL star LaMelo Ball digs deep to help