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"I feel like this is what we were put here to do, for us to use our platform to give back and to help,'' said Helina, adding the foundation would like to eventually branch out into Ethiopia and Jamaica. "It makes us a lot more grateful. It’s life-changing.''
Masai Ujiri: I won't lie. It can be a grind sometimes. But I don't golf. I don't drink. I don't go to happy hours. This is my fun. This is my hobby. Reaching out, getting to know other people's cultures, traveling to other people's countries. Living in Morocco is totally different from living in Rwanda or Ethiopia. Different languages, different food, different religion. So on the first day of each camp we have what we call a "culture day" where the coaches spend time exploring the community. To be honest, I get inspiration from Anthony Bourdain. I think what he did was remarkable, and it's what we want GOA to do with sports. Basketball can be the entry point, but how do they live? What's their culture like? How can we help?
Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball filed suit late Tuesday night against the former co-founder and manager of Big Baller Brand, Alan Foster, for more than $2 million plus interest in damages, alleging that he "conspired to embezzle millions of dollars and then divert those funds for his personal use, including to acquire assets in Ethiopia."
“If I were in the fourth-most-sacred Muslim spot in the world, and it was in the city of Harar, what country would I be in?” Popovich said. Ginobili knew it was Ethiopia. Popovich wasn’t surprised. Ginobili knows the answer to most of Popovich’s questions—and soon there may be data supporting his dominance. “I’m going to keep a ledger,” Popovich said, “and I’ll see who answered the most.”
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Gasol spent that unbelievable week in Ethiopia in late July – generating hope and drawing attention to the needs that UNICEF is trying to fill. Gasol referred to it as simply "fighting for children's rights." Later in the summer he traveled to India and China. (From the did-you-know category: China and India have a combined population of 2.55 billion; the U.S. has 310 million.) Gasol brought the Larry O'Brien Trophy to India, where they'd never laid eyes on the NBA championship trophy before but promoting the sport of basketball is a high NBA priority. In China, where they are already rabid about basketball, he taught youngsters about Phil Jackson's triangle offense and told them the best player in the world was Kobe Bryant – but Gasol was enough of a draw himself. "A lot of highlights," Gasol said about his summer of benevolence. "Every trip that I've taken has been a very unique in its own way."
Two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers is working hard this offseason building schools in remote areas of Ethiopia, where only 20% of the kids attend school. To help raise awareness for the cause, Pau has exposed his hidden talent, his singing ability. In this exclusive FanHouse report, watch the Lakers big man in action while at a North Hollywood recording studio.
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