Pro players are stepping up to help the coronavirus crisis.

It seems that more athletes and celebrities are willing to take the lead on helping their country through the pandemic that the President and his minion — or followers — have wasted precious time denying.

Rudy Gobert, the first NBA player who tested positive for the coronavirus, was sorry that he minimized his condition and then stepped up with $500,000 to help cover the wages lost by support people around the Utah Jazz and their home arena.

Zion Williamson, a rookie who makes far less than Gobert, has been in New Orleans long enough to fully understand what Hurricane Katrina did to his new city; he has pledged $100,000 to aid similar disenfranchised workers around the Pelicans franchise.

Stephen Curry and his wife have committed to help children in San Francisco whose parents are out of work due to services industries being shut down. These are the first, and every day other stars and celebrities seem to come forth, trying to keep the country from falling into what say some could be the greatest economic recession in our history.

Ironically, this might not have happened had the President and his executive team been in such denial over the projections staring them right in the face. Generally, when the government gets on top of such crises, private citizens don’t come forth so quickly.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver was the first to halt play in a professional league when he suspended the current season indefinitely. Now, Silver projects that it may be mid-June before the games will resume — and that is far from definite.

Have we ever seen a calamity that promises such lateral damage across the board? One that could have an effect on so much of society, not only businesses where people gather but the staples of everyday life.

Already two states have ordered the closing of all restaurants, which if replicated could cause a mini-recession. As the news spreads of more people becoming infected, high-profile citizens with money and influence will further help those whose lives are being severely altered. Good for them.

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