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Mavs’ J.J. Barea Stuffed Mark Cuban’s Jet With Supplies and Took Off To Puerto Rico

A native of the island, the Dallas point guard details his humanitarian mission and seeing his parents for the first time since Hurricane Maria demolished the island.
By Chase Beakley |
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On Monday night, almost a week after Hurricane Maria crashed into Puerto Rico, J.J. Barea still hadn’t heard from his parents. He texted Mark Cuban and made a longshot request: Could he borrow the Mavericks’ team jet to check on his family and bring much-needed supplies to the island?

Five minutes later, Cuban responded, “Check your email.”

In the email, Cuban had already prepped the pilot and crew of the Mavs’ team plane and, after a few calls between Washington D.C. and San Juan, Barea got the go-ahead for his rescue mission. Tuesday morning, he left Dallas with 13 of his closest friends and a plane stacked full of thousands of pounds of food and bottled water along with almost two dozen generators.

Not many owners would loan their plane to a player, but Coach Rick Carlisle wasn’t surprised he got the news. “When you play for the Mavericks you’re a part of Mark’s family,” said Carlisle, “and he gives his heart and soul to the people that are close to him.”

As soon as the island came into view, Barea could sense the devastation. “I always go to Puerto Rico after the season, and I look out the window and it’s beautiful—the water’s blue, it’s green. Yesterday you look out the window and it’s completely dead.” he said.

After landing in San Juan, he drove two hours to his hometown of Mayagüez, where he first played professional basketball and where his parents still live. Seeing his parents for the first time since the storm and talking with people during his short visit showed just how extensive the damage was. Even after a week, a majority of Puerto Ricans are still without power and drinkable water and gasoline supplies are in short supply.

Just a few hours later, Barea was headed back to Dallas with a few special passengers he’d met during the day. Lack of commercial flights have trapped residents on the island, some in dire circumstances. One man was stranded in Puerto Rico while his wife was due to undergo a major surgery in Maryland. Another woman, a family friend of Barea’s, was going to miss the birth of her grandchildren because of the storm. Barea let both fly back with him on the team’s plane so they could rejoin their families. His mother and grandmother returned with him as well, leaving his father and uncle behind to oversee his foundation’s rebuilding efforts.

Now that he’s back in Dallas, Barea’s diving into his workouts and plans to keep raising money and awareness. “It’s going to be a long long process, but we just got to keep helping out.”

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