Yahoo Finance Nets honor New York essential workers with banner before season opener
The Brooklyn Nets kicked off the 2020-21 season on Tuesday night with a rout of the Golden State Warriors — which marked Steve Nash’s official coaching debut alongside stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Before that matchup got underway at the Barclays Center, however, the Nets hung up a special banner in the rafters.
Nets honor New York essential workers
The Nets officially dedicated this season to essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic across New York City.
The @BrooklynNets take a moment to honor all essential workers before tip-off 🙏 pic.twitter.com/lxQDq2mHNN
— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 23, 2020
“Obviously 2020 has been a very trying year for pretty much everybody,” Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie said directly to the city’s essential workers during the ceremony. “We’re excited to get the season started, and without the work you guys do every day and will continue to do throughout this year and next year, that wouldn’t be possible.”
It’s easy to understand why the Nets have chosen to honor the city’s essential workers.
New York was the first major coronavirus hotspot in the United States, and it hit the city hard. The state has recorded more than 871,000 total cases as of Tuesday night, according to The New York Times, though is now recording more than 10,000 new cases a day — which is slightly more than what it was experiencing during the first wave in April.
If it weren’t for those who kept the city safe and running, Nash said, there’s no way they would’ve been able to actually play in Brooklyn on Tuesday night.
🎥 Coach @SteveNash has only gratitude for the essential workers we’re honoring tonight: “We wouldn’t be in this building if it wasn’t for essential workers.”#BarclaysEssentialTogether | @Barclays | #BrooklynTogether pic.twitter.com/omiVUJEfWe
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 22, 2020
“We wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t have the NBA. We wouldn’t have it in this format, we wouldn’t be in this building if it wasn’t for essential workers,” Nash said. “Them putting their lives on the line to help others has made this possible, not just in basketball but obviously in the greater public in society.”
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