Former NBA star Eddy Curry joins Israeli hostage awareness campaign, 'adopts' baby hostage Kfir Bibas
The #SportsSpeaksUp campaign, led by Project Max, has enlisted sport celebrities from NBA, MLB and NFL to “adopt” Israeli hostages being held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for nearly 10 months to increase awareness and facilitate their release from Hamas captivity in Gaza.
Former NBA player Eddy Curry, who won an NBA Championship playing for the Miami Heat in 2012, has joined the hostage awareness campaign. He said he can relate to the trauma of losing a close family member. In 2009, his 10-month-old daughter Ava was tragically killed in a gun violence incident. Curry decided to “adopt” Israeli baby Kfir Bibas who was 10 months old when he and his family were brutally kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.
In Curry's opinion, if the tragic Bibas story “doesn’t make you just put down whatever side you’re representing and say, ‘this is what’s right, this is what matters,’ and just make you feel something, then you’re a monster.”
“I couldn't save my child, and I'm just praying that I could be one of the small voices to help save these children,” the former NBA star added.
The #SportsSpeaksUp campaign was initiated by Project Max, a movement focused on combating racism, antisemitism, and intolerance through sports by leveraging the influence of professional athletes.
Project Max's Israel-based Executive Director Eric Rubin underscored that the campaign transcends Middle East issues and is ultimately about humanity.
“This, to them, and to me, and I think to most people, is not an issue about Israel and Hamas or Israel and the Palestinians,” Rubin said. “This is about humanity.”
Last month, another organization that fights antisemitism, Athletes for Israel, invited Curry to spend a week in the Jewish state. He visited the site of the Nova Music Festival, where terrorists massacred 364 young Israelis in the early morning hours of Oct. 7.
“You can't even describe what it feels like to be standing right there…to see and know that all that life was lost right there was unbelievable,” he said.
While visiting Israel with his wife, Curry and his wife went to Sderot, an Israeli border town close to Gaza where the invading Hamas terrorists murdered around 30 civilians and security officials. While having lunch there, sirens were sounded to warn of incoming missiles.
Curry and his wife ran to a safety bunker to seek shelter.
“All I'm thinking is, this is not someone with a gun. This is not a gang member, this is not a drive-by shooter, this is a missile. What can I do to protect my wife against a missile?” Curry asked.
He was impressed with the Israeli resilience amid the ten-month long war.
Curry also met with Yossi Schnaider and Jimmy Miller, the cousins of Shiri Bibas, the mother of Kfir. They thanked Curry for his support but voiced concerns that much of the world is against Israel.
However, Curry who is a Christian, reassured them that not everyone is against Israel and the Jewish people.
“Everyone is not against you. I'm not against you. Before I even met you, I wasn’t against you, and I can assure you there are other people like me in America who are not against you,” he told them.
The tragic story of the kidnapped Bibas family has garnered significant attention worldwide, from the public, celebrities and even the comic world.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
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