As UCLA Health rallies the community to step up to support doctors, nurses and staff on the front lines combatting , NBA legend and UCLA Health ambassador Kareem Abdul-Jabbar answered the call in a very personal and generous way, donating 900 pairs of safety goggles.
Abdul-Jabbar wanted health care workers to have the same sense of safety that he had wearing eye protection, as he regularly wore goggles as he became the NBA's all-time leading scorer in his 20-year career.
“I am honored to be able to use whatever resources I can to help UCLA Health continue its courageous and necessary work to protect the health of our community,” said Abdul-Jabbar.
UCLA’s accepted the donation from Abdul-Jabbar. Dr. Esrailian, chief of the , director of the Melvin & Bren Simon Digestive Diseases Center and Lincy Foundation Chair in Clinical Gastroenterology at the , has been one of UCLA Health’s leaders in the effort to raise funds for supplies, equipment and innovative research during this COVID-19 crisis. He has created two COVID-19 funds: one to help patients and a second to help first responders.
“On behalf of UCLA Health, I am honored and grateful to accept the generous donation of protective goggles from our friend, the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,” Dr. Esrailian said. “We are incredibly grateful for the recent outpouring of financial support and donations of supplies during this unprecedented time. #TeamLA is stronger than ever before thanks to all of you, and we will get through this together.”
Abdul-Jabbar teamed up with his longtime friend and manager Deborah Morales to make the donation and secure much needed, high-quality medical supplies for UCLA Health and other hospitals in Southern California.
To learn more about the UCLA Health COVID-19 funds, please visit: https://www.uclahealth.org/Giving/covid-19-philanthropic-support
