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Bucks Guard Malcolm Brogdon Launches Program To Help Bring Clean Water To East Africa

Milwaukee, WI (CBS Local)- Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon announced the launch of a new program, Hoops2o, with the goal of bringing clean water to countries in East Africa.

Brogdon and four other NBA players are asking fans help to reach the fundraising goal of $225,000, which would allow the program to fund five wells, one for each team member of the "Starting 5".

The NBA players joining Brogdon in the effort are: Justin Anderson (Atlanta Hawks), Joe Harris (Brooklyn Nets), Garrett Temple (Memphis Grizzlies), and Anthony Tolliver (Minnesota Timberwolves). The players are asking fans to pledge a dollar amount per stat line for one of the five players as part of the "Ballin' for Buckets" campaign beginning on the first of November.

The Hoops2o program is a spin-off of the successful Waterboys campaign started by Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Chris Long in 2015. Brogdon made the decision to start his version of the program with help from NBA players because he made trips to Ghana and Malawi as a child and saw firsthand the impact that water can have on communities there.

"I saw from a very young age the value of clean water in communities in Africa," said Brogdon in a press release. "I made a promise to myself that once I reached a time and place in my career where I could do more, I would. When I learned about Chris' Waterboys initiative and saw their accomplishments by working as a team of players to inspire action, I knew I wanted to expand his vision into the NBA and address our ultimate shared goal to save more lives faster and transform communities."

Long praised Brogdon and the Starting 5 in a statement for helping to expand the Waterboys initiative and purpose across leagues.

"I'm honored that our work is expanding into the NBA and I couldn't be more excited about what this will mean for our neighbors who lack access to a fundamental resource'" said Long. "I'm confident that working together as a united front, the NFL's Waterboys and the NBA's Starting 5 will bring us one step closer to providing water to one million people."

For more information on the program, visit www.hoops2o.org.

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