KEVIN C. COX/Getty Images via AFP
Serbian basketball player Luka Doncic (left) of the Dallas Mavericks chats with his coach Jason Kidd during an NBA game April 2, 2023 in Atlanta.
SERBIA – A strong gesture after this national tragedy. NBA star, whose family is largely from Serbia, Slovenian basketball player Luka Doncic has pledged to help fund the funeral of victims of Wednesday’s school shooting in Belgrade, pledged this Thursday, April 4, May, ESPN sports channel.
The 24-year-old leader of the Dallas Maverick, who was selected for the All-Star Game four times, also wants to fund psychological support efforts for children who survived the tragedy and school staff, the TV network said, citing a spokeswoman for the player’s foundation .
“I support you all in this difficult time,” said Luka Doncic directly on social media. “Through my foundation, I am currently exploring all possibilities to provide short and long-term support to all students, families and schools affected by the shooting at Vladislav Ribnikar Primary School.”
Belgrade, I support and stand by you all during this difficult time. I’m exploring both via @LD77Foundation… https://t.co/2JRi7rEALG
— Luka Doncic (@luka7doncic)
Luka Doncic also vowed to continue “sharing updates on the tools” he can use to help the victims of this tragedy.
Two shoots in two days
Eight students (seven girls and one boy) and the caretaker of a primary school in the Serbian capital were killed on Wednesday. A 13-year-old teenager from the facility, who was suspected of having planned the murder in detail, was subsequently arrested by the authorities. “This tragic shooting in Serbia and the loss of many lives, including those of innocent children, breaks my heart,” the basketball pro added.
Another North American basketball player, Serbian Nikola Jokic, also spoke. “We have to take care of everyone,” responded the two-time MVP of the Denver Nuggets, originally from Sombor, almost 200 kilometers from the Serbian capital.
“I’m so sorry for what these families are going through right now,” added the 28-year-old pivot. “I don’t remember any such event in Serbia. I’m not saying it doesn’t exist, maybe that’s the general impression, but it’s not true.”
These statements by the two Serbian players, who play in the NBA, came hours before Serbian authorities deplored the existence of a second shooting late Thursday in the town of Mladenovac, south of Belgrade, that killed eight more victims.
As a result, on Friday, May 5, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced a sweeping disarmament plan in the wake of those two killings in the small Balkan country where arms circulate massively. The President therefore pledged to drastically reduce the number of legal guns and tackle the problem of illegal guns in order to achieve the “almost complete disarmament of Serbia” where large numbers of firearms were circulating to break up the former Yugoslavia and the bloody wars the 1990s.
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