Tim Duncan pledges $250K to U.S. Virgin Islands relief, offers to match donations

Tim Duncan was one of the quietest superstars in the NBA, and his retirement from basketball has allowed the future Hall of Famer to withdraw even further from the public eye.

So, when the Big Fundamental decides to speak, you listen.

In a piece for The Players' Tribune, Duncan spoke passionately about a cause that's very near and dear to him: The safety of his native U.S. Virgin Islands, which have already been decimated by category-five Hurricane Irma, with category-five storm Jose following close behind.

"I'm donating $250,000 immediately - tonight - to the storm relief efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands," Duncan wrote, linking to an online fundraising effort. "And going forward, I pledge to match your donations up to the first $1 million."

"Starting as soon as the weather permits, I'll be chartering an airplane full of supplies from San Antonio to St. Croix, the biggest town in the Virgin Islands," he added.

Having grown up on the Caribbean territory, Duncan has seen firsthand the destructive power of a category-five hurricane. In 1989, a 13-year-old Duncan and his family weathered Hurricane Hugo.

Here are some of his recollections of the most destructive storm in the island's history:

Hugo hit at night. The first thing I remember is a loud boom from the windows blowing out of our house. My mother and sister burst into my bedroom and led me by the hand into another room. We spent the rest of the night sitting in a small bathroom, our eyes wide open. None of us could sleep. We heard the bangs and booms of debris. Once in a while, I'd peek down the hallway at my dad, who was watching our ceiling. One of the beams had a crack in it, and the crack slowly grew bigger throughout the night. I think my dad was praying.

It wasn't just Duncan's family that was impacted; the entire island was left reeling.

Hugo crippled the economy. People lost their businesses. Food prices went way, way up. For the next six months, parts of the island didn't have power, and school was canceled for almost two months.

With the continental United States bracing for catastrophic winds to hit the Florida peninsula in the coming days, it's important to remember all the people - American citizens and Caribbean islanders alike - who have already been affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Jose in recent weeks.

"I'm writing this to ask for your help in the relief efforts," Duncan reiterated, "But I'm also asking you not to forget about islands like the Virgin Islands and St. Martin and others."