NBA aid helping Wuhan's virus fight

The NBA is doing its bit to help China's efforts to battle the coronavirus outbreak.

The league has donated medical equipment to hospitals in virus epicenter Wuhan, while there were also words of encouragement for China during the NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago.

The NBA has sent three batches of medical equipment worth 18.5 million yuan ($2.65 million) to the hospitals in the Hubei province capital, which remains in lockdown.

A total of 55 monitors and a mobile digital X-ray machine donated by the NBA are already in use at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University and Wuhan No 4 Hospital respectively, while a CT scanner was delivered to Leishenshan Hospital over the weekend.

At the Rising Stars Game, which is contested between the best first－and second-year US and international players during the All-Star Weekend, the message "Stay Strong Wuhan" was displayed on the jumbotron in the arena, both in English and Chinese.

Over 50 current and former NBA players have voiced their support for China's anti-coronavirus efforts through social media, including All-Stars Stephen Curry, Dwayne Wade, Kyrie Irving and Scottie Pippen.

"I wanted to send our thoughts and prayers to everybody in Wuhan and across China dealing with this virus," said Curry in a video posted on NBA Weibo.

"We are thinking about the doctors and the medical staff who are taking care of the situation."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver also expressed his support for the ongoing fight against COVID-19.

"We wish you all the best in dealing with these tragic circumstances and encourage you to stay strong and hope that you can find some sort of solace through sports and the things that we're doing at the NBA," said Silver at the All-Star Weekend on Saturday.

"In addition, our offices in China are working hand in hand with world health organizations on relief efforts around coronavirus."

The NBA stressed it has previously been involved in many of China's disaster-relief efforts, including earthquakes in Wenchuan and Ya'an in Sichuan province, Yushu in Qinghai province and Zhaotong in Yunnan province.

"This game of basketball is a huge game, and I've been blessed and fortunate enough to travel to China a number of times," said All-Star Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who also is president of the National Basketball Players Association, on Saturday.

"A friend of mine, Pooh Jeter, plays over in China, and I actually wrote 'Wuhan' on my shoes the other night in a game in New Orleans.

"But this isn't just a Wuhan problem. It's an everyone problem."