NEW ORLEANS -- Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday will donate $1,000 toward New Orleans tornado relief for every point and assist he records in Friday's home matchup with the San Antonio Spurs.
Tornadoes devastated the New Orleans East area on Feb. 7. No deaths were reported, but at least 33 people were injured, an estimated 250 homes and businesses were heavily damaged, and thousands were left without electricity.
"I was getting my haircut in my living room watching TV and just seeing everything happen," Holiday said. "Obviously, being here for four years, I know people from New Orleans East, and [I've been] texting and asking them how their families are doing, how the city's doing. Houses, homes, pretty much everything's lost. To be able to give a little bit of hope, that's the least I can do."
Holiday had 23 points and 11 assists in the Pelicans' last meeting with the Spurs, a 119-103 New Orleans victory at the Smoothie King Center.
The 26-year-old guard said he's also hopeful that some of his teammates will match or join him in his pledge efforts.
"I'm hoping for something like 20 and 10," Holiday said. "Hopefully [Anthony Davis] will go 30 and 20 and DeMarcus [Cousins] will, too."
In the wake of the tornadoes, the Pelicans and Saints have used their Metairie, Louisiana, training facilities to collect nonperishable food items and other items of need, while working in conjunction with United Way, the American Red Cross and the Second Harvest Food Bank.
"It's devastating to see that across the way, across town something so drastic and so sudden can happen," Holiday said. "I guess we're here to try and help them pick it up."
