Former Knicks star Stephon Marbury wants to deliver the Big Apple something it needs even more than an NBA title — 10 million N95 masks for hospital workers and other first responders handling the coronavirus pandemic.
Marbury, who played in the NBA 14 years before moving overseas to become a legend in the Chinese Basketball Association, told The Post he’s made arrangements with a mask supplier in China willing to sell New York 10 million masks “at cost” for $2.75 each – well below the roughly $7.50 that N95 retailers have been quoting the state.
The Coney Island native said he got the idea last week after learning of the state’s lack of protective gear and the astronomical price its been paying for masks. So the now-retired, former point guard decided to reach out to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a presumptive 2021 mayoral candidate who has backed Marbury’s local charities in the past, to let him know he’s ready to dish his biggest assist yet.
“At the end of the day, I am from Brooklyn,” Marbury said during a call from his Beijing home. “This is something that is close and dear to my heart as far as being able to help New York.”
“I have family there in Coney Island, a lot of family … who are affected by this, so I know how important it is for people to have masks during this time.”
With China now beginning to recover from the pandemic, Marbury’s mask contact has more N95s than that country currently needs, according to Brooklyn Borough Hall. The gear would be delivered 2 million at a time over five weeks.
Despite the good intentions, Adams’ efforts to connect with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s staff to present Marbury’s offer have gone anything but smoothly.
“We’ve been communicating back and forth with the city and state, and for some reason they are saying they don’t need any more masks, but the hospitals are saying they do,” Adams said Thursday.
However, when contacted hours later by The Post, state Department of Health spokeswoman Jill Montag said she “had no idea who the borough president spoke to” and that the state officials “in charge” of buying masks “want to talk to Stephon!”
Montag then asked a reporter for assistance in trying to connect with Marbury. The reporter helped by connecting the Health Department with Adams’ office since it had the direct pipeline to Marbury in China.
De Blasio spokeswoman Julia Arredondo confirmed Adams did indeed reach out to City Hall but the details after first contact are murky.
She forwarded a reporter an email Adams sent Tuesday to city officials, along with a response from Daniel Symon, director of the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services. Symon’s note said, “Hello BP Adams. If the N95 check out, that is a decent price. If you’d like to put us in touch with the supplier directly, we’d be happy to vet this and move towards purchase.”
Arredondo said Adams never responded, but Jonah Allon, a spokesman for Adams “we’re not aware of any email asking us to connect City Hall with Stephon Marbury.”
However, Allon said Borough Hall is “open” to working with de Blasio’s team “and want to do whatever it takes to get these masks to our hospitals and first responders.”
Additional reporting by Bernadette Hogan