Kyrie Irving commits $1.5M to WNBA players opting out of season

Kyrie Irving has committed $1.5 million to supplement the income of WNBA players who choose not to play this season due to COVID-19 or social justice activism.

The funds will come from the newly launched KAI Empowerment Initiative and provide players with a financial literacy program created by UBS.

Alongside Natasha Cloud and Jewell Loyd who chose to sit out, Kyrie connected with several WNBA players who discussed with him the challenges they faced in deciding whether to play and empowered himself to alleviate their financial insecurity.

“Whether a person decided to fight for social justice, play basketball, focus on physical or mental health, or simply connect with their families, this initiative can hopefully support their priorities and decisions.” Kyrie reflected.

For more information, visit www.kaiempowermentinitiative.com.

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Putting words into action. @kyrieirving commits $1.5M to support WNBA players who will miss this season with the launch of the KAI Empowerment Initiative. To female empowerment and equality 🙏

A post shared by Roc Nation Sports (@rocnationsports) on Jul 27, 2020 at 1:08pm PDT