Norman Powell Pledges US$100K to Support Recovery Efforts

Miami Heat guard and Jamaica men’s national team captain Norman Powell donates US$100K to support recovery efforts, and shares that all proceeds from his Jamaica collection on his website will also go toward relief

Norman Powell donates US$100K to Jamaica relief

Miami Heat guard Norman Powell, who is also the captain of the Jamaican men’s basketball team, has donated US$100,000 toward Hurricane Melissa relief efforts in Jamaica through his Understand the Grind Foundation.

Powell shared the announcement on Instagram, also thanking the Miami Heat organization, which earlier this week pledged US$1 million toward relief initiatives. “To help rebuild Jamaica, I’m donating US$100,000,” he wrote.

He added that all proceeds from purchases of items in his Jamaica collection on his website will go directly toward rebuilding and stabilizing affected communities.

Powell joins NBA players such as Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray and Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton, who have also pledged donations in support of Jamaica’s recovery efforts.

Both players visited the island over the summer - Murray, who is of Jamaican descent, returned in September to host his second Blue Arrow Camp at Mount Alvernia High School in Montego Bay, while Ayton, whose mother is from St. Elizabeth, one of the parishes hardest hit by the storm, launched the Ayton Family Foundation’s first Jamaican project at the Cedar Spring Community Center.

The wider NBA community has expressed its commitment to supporting Jamaica following the hurricane. In an official statement, the league shared: “The entire NBA and NBPA family is heartbroken by the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and the Caribbean. Our thoughts are with those impacted, and we are grateful to the heroic first responders and volunteers providing assistance. The NBA, NBPA, our teams, and players have deep roots in the region and are joining together to support immediate and long-term relief for those in need.”