Raptors head coach is donating huge amount of money to Toronto hospital
Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković is reupping a major contribution to a trio of hospitals close to his heart.
In his first season with the Raptors, Rajaković and his wife Gaga made a charitable pledge of US$20 per assist his team made throughout the year, which led to a contribution of US$46,700.
This year, he’s upping that price to $30 per assist — inspired by the team’s 30th anniversary season — which works out to $37,230 so far this year with 39 games left to go. If the Raptors continue at their current pace of assists per game, that should equal a contribution just shy of $71,000 on the season.
In Toronto’s first game since the announcement, they picked up 29 assists — a contribution of $870 — in a win over the Orlando Magic.
The Rajaković family will split their contribution between SickKids, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospitals in Memphis, Tennessee, and the University Children’s Hospital in Belgrade, Serbia, their home country. The news was made official earlier this week while members of the team were making their annual visit to SickKids.
“The work done by these dedicated professionals in medical centres around the world is nothing short of miraculous – every day, they are giving help and hope to parents and families facing unimaginable worry and fear,” Rajaković said in a statement. “Being able to support these patients and hospitals is truly our privilege. Gaga and I are grateful for all they do.”
Rajakovic also reps SickKids each game with a pin on the outside of his team-issued gear, raising an additional level of awareness for the cause.
The reason why the Rajaković clan selected assists as their metric for when to donate is pretty simple: it’s a reflection of the way they like to see basketball played. In his first year with the organization, the Raptors set a franchise record for most assists in a season, ranking fourth in the league with 2,355.