The recent murder of a young African American teenager at the Bay Area Rapid Transit station has drawn solidarity and support from many across the United States, including big names from the NBA. Among those to express support for the grieving family is basketball icon Stephen Curry, who raised $21,025 for Nia Wilson's family, according to The Bleacher Report.
In a Facebook event streamed on the social network, Curry announced, "I'm happy to be able to livestream the All Star Game from the SC30 Select Camp, coached by myself and Seth Curry, in honor of Nia Wilson. All donations will benefit Nia's family via the National Basketball Players Association Foundation."
At the event, Curry shared a few words about Wilson. "I'm sure everybody is aware of the tragic loss we've had in the Bay Area recently with the life of Nia Wilson," he said. "Her family is here today ... It was a senseless tragedy that should not have happened and we want to use this game to dedicate it to your family." Putting action behind his words, Curry encouraged his viewers to hit the donate button on the Facebook live video to send donations for the Wilson family. According to the Facebook analytics report on the same page, dozens donated to Curry's cause.
In response, Wilson's father has expressed gratitude to Curry. Ansar El Muhammad told NBC Bay Area, "This is what's keeping me and my family so strong. All the support from giants like Stephen Curry and abroad, that's what's keeping us strong at the moment."
According to CBS News' Bay Area affiliate, KPIX, Muhammad met Curry before the game. "He told me I had a very nice family and he was looking forward to spending time with us, me and my family," Muhammad said.
So far, local law enforcement authorities have not officially determined a motive behind Wilson's murder. Bay Area ABC 7 reported that the white man who stabbed Wilson also allegedly stabbed her sister, Letifah Wilson, who survived. While speaking to the press, BART Police Chief Carlos Rojas said, "It was, in my close to 30 years of police experience, probably one of the most vicious attacks that I’ve seen."
As he mourned his beloved daughter's death, Muhammad told KTVU reporters, "I want justice for my daughter. I want justice for my daughter. Please get me justice for my daughter ... this is a parent's worst nightmare." He described the harrowing details of the event to KTVU, saying that he got a "hysterical call" from one of his daughters from the MacArthur station. Upon arriving at the scene, Muhammad said he found Wilson lifeless "on a tarp."
Soon after Wilson was brutally murdered, her sister Malika Harris created a GoFundMe for the family and raised more than $30,000. On Twitter, Wilson's horrific death galvanized the hashtag #SayHerName to honor her memory.
Of her sister, Harris wrote, "Nia was an 18-year-old young woman who was full of life, smart, and beautiful beyond words" and that she "loved to do makeup, hair, and get dolled up and enjoy life."
