The NBA is a business which has many stipulations for its players along with contracts and guidelines and while certain players exploit loopholes to gain advantages, some players genuinely need the benefits offered by the league.
Tony Snell is one of those deserving individuals, who is in the search for an NBA team to get him on contract, not for fame or playing time, but for his family.
Charles Barkley pleads to NBA teams to sign Tony Snell
Tony Snell last played in the league during the 2021-22 season before being waived and began searching for a basketball team on his own. Having last played for the New Orleans Pelicans, the 6’6″ Snell was a reliable defender and wing protector. With over 600 games played, Tony Snell averaged 6 points per game, along with 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists.
Later, he was balling for the Maine Celtics, the Boston Celtics’ G-League affiliate team and has been playing with the team for over two years. However, now, Snell is on the hunt for an NBA team to take him on, not for playing but to qualify for a premium medical program that would take care of his family, especially his sons, who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
Former NBA legend and NBA on TNT host Charles Barkley addressed the desperate situation urging teams around the league to sign Tony Snell for the remainder of the season, with just about 40 games left. The premium medical plan requires 10 years of service in the league after which a player is eligible for medical care for his entire family, especially for Karter, 3 and Kenzo, 2 who are both diagnosed with autism.
Understanding Snell’s desperation, Barkley addressed the situation saying, “I hope one of you guys signs Tony so his two autistic kids can get great medical care. I hope a team signs him for the rest of the season, because I don’t know a lot about autism, I ain’t gonna say that. But man, I know it’s gotta be expensive to have two young kids with that situation. I’m hoping the NBA, we always talk about what a family we are, let’s sign that kid for the rest of the season.”
Snell garnering support from Dennis Schroder
Everyone around the league is rallying for Tony Snell to join an NBA team, making him eligible for the league’s premium medical care package offered to players who complete 10 years of service.
Urging teams around the league to sign the 32-year-old star, Raptors guard Dennis Schroder showcased his support and love for the player through social media platform, Instagram. Through his Instagram stories, Schroder reposted a post, which raised awareness of Snell’s situation and urged the league to do something about it, saying, “Lets make this happen!!”
Tony Snell also spoke on his circumstances, emphasizing the importance of an NBA contract that he needs to get himself on before Friday. “It’s something I truly need,” Snell said.
“Not only for myself, but for my wife and my kids.” In the process of understanding that his kids had autism, Snell also discovered that he too had the autism spectrum disorder.
“I was not surprised because I always felt different. It was just relief, like, ‘Oh, this why I am the way I am. It made my whole life, like everything about my life made so much sense. It was like clarity, like putting some 3D glasses on,” he further added.
Tony Snell’s issue has raised awareness throughout the league and now fans and players hope that Snell gets a guaranteed contract before the deadline, for his worthy cause.
