TORONTO – As difficult and frustrating as the New Orleans Pelicans’ injury-ravaged 1-8 start to the NBA regular season has been, a harsh dose of real life arrived Friday evening, before tip-off at Air Canada Centre. While players for both teams stretched and warmed up for Friday’s Pelicans-Raptors matchup, New Orleans center Alexis Ajinca grabbed a marker and wrote the words “Pray for Paris” on his sneakers.
Via social media, the native of France had just learned of the horrifying news that a series of coordinated terrorist attacks had taken place in the city of Paris, killing over 100 people. Ajinca, who said his entire family lives in or near Paris, spent the next few excruciating hours trying to find out if everyone close to him was OK. Just minutes after registering season highs of 10 points and nine rebounds in the Pelicans’ 100-81 loss, the 7-foot-2 pivot finally was able to determine that his friends and family were safe. The third-year member of the Pelicans had played his best game of the young season amid terrible circumstances.
“It’s just a crazy world,” Ajinca said, shortly after receiving reassurances that two of his cousins had been located and were OK. “You think you’re safe just walking down the street, then all of the sudden people start shooting. My prayers go to my family and friends in Paris right now.
“During the whole game, I was trying to get this out of my mind so that I’d be able to stay focused. It felt weird. I was thinking about it the whole game.”
Pelicans first-year head coach Alvin Gentry checked on Ajinca prior to tip-off, asking the July re-signed free agent about the circumstances.
“I wanted to make sure if he had relatives or anyone there, that he had spoken to them, or if anyone was in harm’s way right in that area,” Gentry said. “There was a lot on his mind. There should be a lot on everyone’s mind. That’s why I say, we go out and we compete (on the court), but (the NBA and basketball is) not life. What happened over there, that’s the real world. It’s unfortunate. I thought he played well, focused on the game and did a good job, but it’s tragic what’s going on over there. It’s absolutely ridiculous.”
As the Pelicans departed Canada, going through U.S. customs following their once-per-season visit to play the Raptors in Toronto, Ajinca was glued to his phone, checking for updates and trying to read as many news reports from Paris as he could. One of his cousins was inside the soccer venue Stade de France when suicide bombings took place nearby. Another relative was unreachable for a period of time Friday, but fortunately that was only because he’d been asleep.
“One of my cousins was inside the soccer stadium,” said Ajinca, a native of Saint-Etienne in eastern central France. “The bombing was right next to it. She was stuck over there for a little while. We couldn’t reach one of my cousins, but he was sleeping. As far as I know everyone I know is safe, but all of my prayers go out to the families that lost loved ones. It’s just unfair.”
