Australia has been ravaged by bushfires that have sent residents and wildlife fleeing over the past few months. Nearly half a billion animals and plants have been wiped out since the fires began and about 12.35 million acres of land have burned nationwide, according to CBS News.
In the wake of the devastation, which has left at least 17 people dead, several high-profile athletes are helping aid relief efforts throughout the country.
Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons is joining the efforts to help aid his homeland. In a series of tweets on Friday, Simmons expressed his sorrow for what is happening in Australia and is urging his Australian NBA brethren to help out their home country in any way that they can.
I’m so sad by the loss our country is currently facing. The images of the raging fires, people, families, firefighters and wildlife are nothing short of terrifying. 12 million acres of land destroyed, human lives lost, animals being wiped out and misplaced with homes and 1/3
— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) January 3, 2020
communities in ruins and this number continues to rise daily.
— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) January 3, 2020
I am working with my family and calling on my Australian NBA brothers and any others that can, to do our part to help in this catastrophic disaster, not just for today but to support communities in their eventual 2/3
rebuild when the fires have stopped.
— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) January 3, 2020
Australia is a strong and resilient country and I urge you all to be brave, kind and compassionate to each other through this extremely hard time. 3/3
Simmons grew up in Newcastle, Australia and even played some basketball in his home country before coming over to the United States to play at Monteverde Academy and eventually LSU. The versatile forward was selected with the top pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Sixers.
NBA Draft prospect LaMelo Ball is currently playing for the Illawarra Hawks in the National Basketball League in Australia. On Friday, he announced plans to donate a month of his salary to help victims of the bushfires.
It's unclear what Ball's monthly salary will actually amount to.
"It's sad to see what is happening on the south coast of Australia," Ball said in a statement to ESPN on Friday. "People have lost their homes and everything they own. My parents taught me to help out wherever I can, so this is my way of helping out."
Ball has spent the 2019-20 season playing for Illwarra as he positions himself for the NBA Draft. The former five-star recruit is currently dealing with a foot injury that has kept him out of the lineup since December.
Utah Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell wanted to do his part to help, and worked to make a custom pair of sneakers to auction off to help with those impacted by the Puerto Rico earthquake and Australian fires.
The shoes feature the Puerto Rico and Australian flags.
Donovan will auction off his custom shoes, with all proceeds going toward relief efforts for the Puerto Rico earthquake and Australia brush fires. pic.twitter.com/p8GRPgrzBq
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 14, 2020
In addition to NBA players, the tennis world has also rallied to support the cause in Australia.
Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has revealed that he plans to donate $200 for every ace that he records during the coming season. Kyrgios is set to compete for Australia in the ATP Cup, which begins Friday and is being played at sites in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.
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
"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," Kyrgios said during an ATP Cup press conference on Thursday.
Fellow Australian tennis player Alex de Minaur also plans to join the cause as he tweeted that he would match Kyrgios with $250 for every ace going towards the bushfire victims. John Millman also revealed that he plans to donate $100 for every ace towards the victims.
Other Australian athletes John Millman, John Peers, Ellen Perez and Sam Stosur also revealed that they plan to donate to the cause based on the number of aces. The ATP will also donate $100 per serve during the 10-day ATP Cup.
Cricket stars Chris Lynn and Glenn Maxwell pledged to donate $250 for each boundary-clearing six they hit during competition.
"It is special to see so many athletes from various sports getting in behind the real heroes who are fighting to save lives and properties around our country," Lynn tweeted.
Australian cricket players also plan to auction off signed shirts for their Melbourne Cricket Ground test against New Zealand.
