HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Rockets and owner Leslie Alexander have upped their donation to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts to $10 million.
Alexander pledged $4 million to Houston mayor Sylvester Turner’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund on Monday before announcing that he’d donate $10 million to help victims affected by catastrophic flooding in the city on Tuesday.
Leslie Alexander, owner of the Houston Rockets, looks over a stat
sheet during the third quarter of the team’s first-round NBA basketball
playoff game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City,
Friday, April 21, 2017. Oklahoma City won 115-113. (AP Photo/Sue
Ogrocki)
The donation is the largest of many contributions by Houston’s sports teams and athletes in recent days. Astros owner Jim Crane and the Astros foundation pledged $4 million to the cause and Major League Baseball also contributed, joining with the players association to donate $1 million to the Red Cross and relief organizations chosen by the players.
The Texans and owner Bob McNair donated $1 million to the United Way of Greater Houston Flood Relief Fund. The NFL Foundation said it would match the $1 million donation, and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his family pledged to match all funds donated to the American Red Cross in support of Harvey flood relief up to $1 million.
Houston star J.J. Watt started a fundraising page online that has raised more than $1.6 million since its inception on Sunday. His original goal was $500,000, but he’s now aiming to raise $2 million.
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