The Sacramento Kings will be the first NBA team to use Fundraising with Facebook Live with a special livestream during a halftime performance from rapper Lil Jon at Wednesday’s season opener. During the performance, viewers will have the opportunity to easily donate directly to the American Red Cross to support relief efforts.
The Facebook Live stream will enable the team to encourage fans, locally and globally, to donate.
“I’m ready to rock wit’ yall in Sacramento,” Lil Jon said in a statement. “Happy to be a part of the Facebook Live fundraising efforts to benefit victims of the recent hurricanes and the Northern Cali wildfires. Let’s raise this money!”
The Kings announced a plan to help those in their community who have been effected by wildfires as well as those in Houston, the Gulf Coast, Florida and the Caribbean who were hit by the recent hurricanes.
Over the past week, Northern California, particularly Sonoma and Napa County, have experienced wildfires that have claimed the lives of at least 41 people and destroyed roughly 600 buildings, forcing about 100,000 people to evacuate.
Last month, Hurricane Harvey barreled through Houston while Hurricane Irma hit the Caribbean and Florida, leaving all places extremely damaged, flooded, and much of Puerto Rico with no power after Hurricane Maria.
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The NBA, Kings and Rockets will honor several local responders, including members of the Sacramento Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue Team, and a corps of local American Red Cross volunteers.
The American Red Cross will have a location within the Golden 1 Center that will be taking donations and sign-ups for volunteers locally to help with disaster relief.
“Utilizing sport as an agent of change for communities around the globe is one of our core values,” Kings owner and chairman Vivek Ranadive said in a statement. “On opening night, we’ll be able to use our platform for good, amplified by Lil Jon’s exciting performance and reach audiences around the globe to help those in immediate need.”