Even though their favored NBA All-Star team didn’t win, After School Matters got one more surprise on Monday as one of the league’s biggest stars announced a big donation to the organization.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who captained one of the two teams in Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, announced on Twitter that he and his Team Giannis teammates had pooled together and donated an additional $100,000 to the Chicago-based organization:
“Thank you After School Matters for your energy, as you inspired us,” Antetokounmpo said. “It was an honor to play for you. On behalf of our team, we’re going to donate another $100,000 to support your great work. Keep it up!”
As part of a reconfigured All-Star Game, Team Giannis took on a team captained by Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. The winning team in each quarter of the NBA All-Star Game won $100,000 for the charity of their choice, and with their win in the second quarter of the contest, Team Giannis captured that sum for After School Matters.
The charity is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing after-school and summer program opportunities to nearly 19,000 high school students throughout the city.
Team LeBron ultimately captured $400,000 in donations for the Chicago Scholars, a group dedicated to helping young people in Chicago have a chance to attend college and to succeed in the years after college. LeBron's squad won the first quarter of the game, then won in the fourth quarter to capture an additional $300,000 in donations.
