For Tim Duncan, retirement doesn’t mean kicking his feet up. The five-time NBA champion has been getting his hands dirty for the past week in the form of providing aid to his hometown area — the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Duncan set up a YouCaring page a week ago to raise money for Hurricane Irma relief.
“I was 13 years old when Hurricane Hugo ripped through my home town in the Virgin Islands, and had my life and community forever changed,” Duncan wrote. “I know exactly what kind of devastation a hurricane of this magnitude can cause and want to do all I can to aid in the relief efforts for the islanders.”
Duncan matched donations up to $1 million, which means the fund has now collected more than $3 million.
With Tim putting in his $1 million match and the 16,500 incredibly generous donors we have just passed $3,000,000! Every penny helps! #USVI
— Duncan USVI Relief (@DuncanRelief) September 16, 2017
In addition to encouraging others to donate to the cause, Duncan and his team have provided more than 60,000 pounds of food to those affected by the storm’s destruction.
Day 2:Timmy is at it again! 60,000 lbs of food distributed by him and his phenomenal team of volunteers. Photos coming soon #🐐status #USVI
— Duncan USVI Relief (@DuncanRelief) September 16, 2017
@DuncanRelief it was an honor to be a part of what your doing! @marissaricci13 @133rdAW #IrmaRecovery pic.twitter.com/gcl4GMEe6H
— Matt Hill (@mattisagopher) September 16, 2017
Duncan penned a beautiful piece in The Players’ Tribune to announce his relief effort.
”I’m not normally one to speak directly in the media, or write stuff publicly,” he wrote. “So I’m a little out of my comfort zone here. I don’t use Twitter. I don’t have a Facebook. Interviews are O.K., I guess, but I prefer when they’re on the shorter side.
“But here I am, talking right to you, asking you for a favor. I promise I wouldn’t be asking if it didn’t matter so much. The basketball community has already given so much to me over the years. But right now I need your attention for a couple of minutes.”
If you’d like to make a donation to support the U.S. Virgin Islands and Duncan’s effort, go here.