Injured NBA star Kyrie Irving has committed $1.5 million to supplement the income of players in the WNBA who are joining him on the sidelines during their respective season.
Irving, who will not be playing in the NBA’s restarted season when it begins this week, launched the KAI Empowerment Initiative on Monday and the funding for the WNBA players will be distributed via that entity.
To qualify for the funding, players must apply via the KAI website and share “insight” into why they are opting out of the WNBA season, which began over the weekend and is being played exclusively at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
“The KAI Empowerment Initiative is designed to provide financial support for individual players in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) who are active but will not play in the 2020 WNBA season due to personal, professional, health, and/or safety-related reasons,” according to the website. “The KAI Empowerment Initiative is fully funded by Kyrie Irving who has committed $1.5 million to these efforts. In addition, the program will give all WNBA players access to a comprehensive financial literacy program provided by UBS.”
Irving decided to help after consulting with WNBA players Natasha Cloud — who chose to sit out — and Jewell Loyd.
“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,” Irving said in a statement.
In the WNBA, the top annual salary is a little more than $200,000. Recipients of KAI funding will be notified on August 24.
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