Nets Quietly Playing For Peace

On Friday, at a soccer ground called Seaview in Belfast, a Nets fan was checking NetsDaily on his phone when he turned and 20 yards away, much to his surprise, stood (a very hirsute) Brook Lopez. Lopez was participating in the Belfast Interface, which attempts to bring children of different religious backgrounds together on the field of play.

It's part of a program the Nets announced to little fanfare back in March. In keeping with its goals of aligning with global organizations, the team made a significant donation to Peace Players International (PPI), a peace-building organization and a sponsor of Saturday's Belfast Interface and other efforts in the Middle East, South Africa and Cyprus, among other locations.

It wasn't the first such event this summer. Nor is it limited to Northern Ireland. Last week, Doug Overton was at a Peace Players International camp in Cyprus, where Greek and Turkish Cypriot children were encouraged to play together.

As Irina Pavlova said back in March, "As a basketball team, we understand that the sport teaches players important life lessons about teamwork and sportsmanship, and we’re excited to help bring people together." Or as a Northern Ireland Nets fan noted, "Lopez is an absolute hero, can’t believe he is in Northern Ireland right now."

• Lopez At Belfast Community Event - N.Ireland Nets Fan - NetsDaily