Kyrie Irving is keeping the late Tamir Rice’s legacy alive.
The NBA star has donated $50,000 to a new youth center in Cleveland established in Rice’s memory. In 2014, Tamir Rice was fatally shot by a Cleveland police officer, he was 12-years-old. Irving’s donation was a part of a fundraiser that was launched by Rice’s mother, Samaria Rice, on what would’ve been his 23rd birthday.
The campaign was hosted on GoFundMe and it asks for supporters to donate $23, a symbolic tribute to how old he would’ve been. 12-year-old Rice was killed on November 22, 2014 by officer Timothy Loehmann, for playing with a toy gun in a local park. His case was one of many that drew national outrage and a continued fight for police accountability and racial justice.
Samaria Rice is currently working on turning her grief into something better, as she raises funds for an inner-city youth center. She has plans to use it for cultural development and art programs to empower the local youth.
“I miss my son so much each and every day,” she wrote on the fundraiser page. “As our family approaches Tamir’s 23rd birthday, I’m asking for $23 for 23 years without him. I purchased a building in the city of Cleveland to give back to our inner city youth with art and cultural developments.”
The campaign was launched on June 9 and has raised over $85,000 with a goal of $110,000. Irving’s contribution was made on June 25th. This donation comes after Kyrie Irving reportedly opted out of his current deal with the Dallas Mavericks to resign on a new three-year, $119 million extension. He is currently out with an ACL injury and is expected to miss an early part of the upcoming season.