The Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and Kings have teamed up with Staples Center to assist event staffers who are set to lose wages after the NBA and NHL suspended the rest of their seasons due to the coronavirus outbreak.
In an announcement on Saturday, the teams declared a fund to compensate more than 2,800 hourly event staffers scheduled to work sporting events that had been planned through the end of the regular basketball and hockey seasons.
The fund will benefit security officers, parking attendants, food and beverage servers, and housekeeping and operation staff, among many others.
The organizations said they recognize the economic hardships people are experiencing due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and that they wanted to help the employees “who work tirelessly to deliver outstanding guest experiences and teamwork that is the heart of STAPLES Center.”
The NBA suspended its season on Wednesday after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Two additional players, including Gobert’s teammate Donovan Mitchell, have since been found to have COVID-19.
The NBA was the first major sports league in the U.S. to suspend its season due to the coronavirus.
Up north, the Golden State Warriors pledged to donate $1 million to a community fund that would in part go to employees at the Chase Center, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Other teams and individual players have announced similar efforts to help out those affected by the crisis.
The NHL declared the suspension of its season on Thursday. The league so far has not announced any player who has tested positive for the virus.