J.J. Barea is the only active native Puerto Rican player in the NBA.Matthew Stockman/Getty
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban lent the team plane to point guard J.J. Barea to fly food, water, and supplies to Puerto Rico, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
Barea, who is from Puerto Rico, set up a relief fund for Hurricane Maria victims with his wife, Puerto Rican actress and model Viviana Ortiz. They have raised over $140,000, according to MacMahon.
Barea left the team on Monday after communicating with his parents for the first time on Sunday and learning where help was most needed. He’ll reportedly return on the team plane on Tuesday night.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle also confirmed Cuban’s generous donation:
“Mark gave him our team plane. They loaded up a bunch of stuff, supplies, etc., to take over to Puerto Rico, and they’re going to turn around and come back. He’s going to take his mom and grandmother back with him, and my understanding is his dad is going to stay over there and slug it out with all of the recovery efforts.”
Hurricane Maria was a Category 4 hurricane with 155 mile per hours wins that devastated Puerto Rico, flooding homes and leaving much of the island without power .At least 26 people have died because of the storm, and hundreds have been left homeless.
Here are the best charities to donate to for victims of Hurricane Maria >
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