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Trail Blazers fans might be cynical, but they're not numb.
In the wake of center Jusuf Nurkic breaking his leg March 18, the outpouring of support for the Bosnian big man has eclipsed anything we've seen recently for a fallen player.
For days on social media, the city grieved—not just for the team's playoff hopes, but for the athlete himself. Then, it came together to raise $8,000 to erect a billboard near Moda Center reading, "We Love You, Nurkic."
A great gesture. At Willamette Week, though, we wanted to do something a little more direct: We're going to send Nurk some weed.
The NBA has a relatively laissez-faire attitude toward cannabis, with lax testing and minimal punishment for first-time infractions. Nurkic has a long, arduous recovery ahead of him. The least we can do is help make the process more bearable. What better way to do that than with Oregon's favorite crop?
But that's not all we're sending. In addition to a box of goodies from a cannabis delivery service, we're also shipping him a bag of coffee from Water Avenue—the Blazers' preferred pre-game pick-me-up, according to a recent ESPN article—and Milka, a popular European chocolate bar.
We don't want to stop there, however. For the next few days, will we be accepting donations to our Jusuf Nurkic Care Package. Want to show your appreciation for the Bosnian Beast, whether it's in the form of food, handmade art or maybe more weed? Bring it by our office, at 2220 NW Quimby St., by Friday, April 5 at 3 pm for consideration. We're open 9 am-4:30 pm.