After seeing the impact of the coronavirus on his home country Italy and then watching the United States try to contain the spread, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari is going to fund 400 COVID-19 testing kits, according to ESPN’s Royce Young.
Gallinari will also fund protection equipment including masks, gloves, gowns and face shields.
The equipment will go to the OKC-County Health Department.
The department partnered with a Texas lab to test people at high-risk, according to Young.
On Friday morning, the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported there have been eight deaths and 322 positive coronavirus tests in the state.
Gallinari was outspoken about the dangers of the coronavirus earlier than most high-profile individuals in the United States.
Days before the NBA was canceled, he advocated for playing without fans in the arena.
“I am in favor because I see everything that has been going on in Europe, not just in Italy,” he said March 10.
He again spoke about the situation after league cancellation, telling the New York Times that the US needs to avoid the mistakes Italy made in the early stages of the disease.
Gallinari later joined Phoenix Suns point guard Ricky Rubio of Spain and Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura of Japan to deliver a message about the pandemic on behalf of the World Health Organization and the NBA Players Association.
