Orlando Magic deliver thanks to healthcare workers

The Orlando Magic are doing their part staying in during the coronavirus crisis. They posted a thank you to healthcare professionals, the real heroes today.

Orlando Magic players are in isolation right now (virtually).

There are no squeaking sneakers or the sound of rims rattling and bouncing basketballs, the familiar sounds of the game everyone loves. Instead of gearing up for the final few weeks of the season and the playoffs beyond, everything is silent.

The league essentially completely shut down its business in response to the coronavirus.

And for good reason. It quickly became apparent the league could become supercarriers of the disease with players traveling across the country and in large venues with tens of thousands of people. The rest of the sports world took its cue from the NBA as the first domino to fall in the sports world.

So players are on their own. The league has since closed down its practice facilities. And they all wait for the coronavirus to die out (or become negligible or treatable) so life can get back to normal.

When that will be is still very much up in the air. Florida became the latest state to issue a stay-at-home order statewide Tuesday and Orange County has been under a stay-at-home order for at least a week. Both will continue until at least the end of the month.

So no Magic basketball until at least May, it would seem.

But that is not the important part. The important part right now is to do everything everyone can to assist doctors and healthcare professionals in fighting the coronavirus and limiting the effects of the pandemic.

For most of us, that means listening to stay-home orders, limiting our contact with others and practicing social distancing — staying at least six feet away from people we interact with — along with good hygiene.

And so the Magic from their homes since they cannot meet and gather have a special message for health care workers. A message we all have:

Thank you.

That is the least they can do. On top of the efforts to keep everyone home.

This is what we can all do.

Magic players are in an incredibly privileged spot too and they have continued to step up around the community.

Jonathan Isaac made a sizable donation and created a program to provide food for students and families in Orange County who might not have access to them otherwise as schools and businesses shut down and furlough workers during the crisis.

Wesley Iwundu is the latest to join him in those efforts, donating to Jonathan Isaac’s program.

Aaron Gordon made a sizable donation too to help homeless students in Central Florida keep up in school while schools are open only for virtual learning and helped with shoe purchases for students in his hometown in California.

He was also among the players who donated to the DeVos Family’s compensation fund to support arena and stadium workers who are out of work while major events are closed.

Additionally, D.J. Augustin donated to a charity in New Orleans that is working to deliver meals from local restaurants to medical professionals in his home city. Marc Spears of The Undefeated detailed those efforts in full.

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Players are doing plenty to keep buys and being good examples during this time of isolation.

But it is also clear everyone is getting restless. Judging by some of the hijinx NBA players are sharing in their homes, everyone is eager to play games.

Mohamed Bamba took over the NBA’s Instagram account and detailed his workout routine and home life for fans.

As many teams around the league have done, the Magic delivered workout equipment to players’ homes to make sure they have what they need to stay in shape and ready for whenever the season comes back. Josh Robbins of The Athletic detailed those efforts in great detail (subscription required).

Everyone is doing what they can to occupy their time. Certainly, they are spending time with their families.

But most importantly they are following the safety guidelines and recommendations to try to flatten the curve and help the healthcare workers who are truly helping people right now.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.