“That is the metro stop that serves our practice facility and office,” Nets coach Steve Nash explained before the game. “My children attend a nearby school, so it does touch home, and you feel for all those impacted, and you know that we as a culture and a community have a lot of maturing to do, and you feel for everyone in our community who was affected.”
The Nets and the New York Liberty Foundation announced the contribution just before the minute of silence. The Nets expressed gratitude to first responders and wished those harmed a swift recovery.
Earlier in the day, the Nets advised fans to arrive early for the game and warned them to anticipate a heightened security presence at the venue. Police counterterrorism officers were stationed at the top of the steps outside the subway station across from the Barclays Center plaza. J.B. Bickerstaff, the Cavaliers’ coach, stated that the team’s thoughts were with those who were on their way to work or school when the shooting began.
“So that’s first and foremost, keeping those individuals in our thoughts and doing anything we can to assist them,” he explained. “And then we go to a basketball game, and if it means adding 15 minutes to the journey or having to check your purse at the entrance, then so be it, because individuals were touched in a manner that we will never comprehend.”
