The ALS ice bucket challenge has taken off more than anyone could have predicted.
The whole thing started in honor of former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates, 29, who was diagnosed with ALS. ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi beautifully told Frates’ story and explained the ice bucket challenge phenomenon in the feature below.
Just how successful is the movement? Extremely successful. The ALS Association has received $22.9 million in donations compared to $1.9 million last year over the same 23-day period. The Association announced Tuesday that it has also added 453,210 new donors.
Frates’ goal was to bring more attention to the ALS disease, and that’s exactly what he’s getting. For all the videos out there, some serious and some funny, the money raised is all that matters.
Many Pacers players, coaches, and staff members have already completed the challenge. If Frates can do it, as he did in the piece above, anybody can.
First up, C.J. Watson:
Then, the other C.J. — newcomer C.J. Miles:
Chris Copeland, who then challenged teammates Paul George, Rasual Butler, George Hill, the entire Pacers coaching staff, Knicks guard Iman Shumpert, and Larry Bird:
Indy native and North Central High School product Jason Gardner, who’s in his first year at IUPUI’s as their men’s basketball coach, also issued a challenge to IUPUI Hall of Famer George Hill.
Hill accepted, of course, and got help from Paul ‘Young Trece’ George, Chris Copeland, and PG’s close friend B.A. Tuesday, he challenged his coach, Frank Vogel, and part of the team’s brain trust, Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh. The Pacers’ point guard vowed to do it each day this week so expect more nominations to come.
Pacers Director of International Scouting Pete Philo got in on the action:
As did team scout Matt Doherty:
GM Kevin Pritchard aced the challenged, then nominated the Pacers’ coaching staff:
Head coach Frank Vogel took the challenge Tuesday, as seen below courtesy of Hill. He said he’ll make a donation, and then nominated Roy Hibbert, Solomon Hill and his former player, Lance ‘Born Ready’ Stephenson.
This challenge has been so successful and popular, that Bird and Michael Jordan, who challenged his Olympic Dream Team teammates, are even participating. That’s telling.
Bird took a bucket from equipment manager Josh Conder, and then challenged his assistant, Susy Fischer, and Colts owner Jim Irsay. The cause is particularly meaningful for Bird; He lost his mother to the disease in 1996.
And Irsay answered. (Click here to see the video.)
I just got DUNKED!!! Details coming!!!!!:)
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) August 20, 2014
As did Conder aka Country, who was challenged by Pacers assistant Dan Burke. (No video has been posted of Burke, but I’ve seen it. In addition to Conder, he challenged Director of Media Relations David Benner and Strength and Conditioning coach Shawn Windle.) Country later deleted the video.
Hibbert sent out the following disappointing news on Wednesday:
Just gonna make a donation.
— Roy Hibbert (@Hoya2aPacer) August 20, 2014
That’s just fine, because the point is to raise money and awareness. But with that said, I miss the old Roy. Without a doubt, old Roy would’ve had the best, most entertaining one of all the Pacers.
Thursday, after some convincing, Hibbert accepted the challenged.
Rookie Shayne Whittington:
Pacers exec Donnie Walsh, whose sister passed away due to ALA (He challenged Peter Dinwiddie, Larry Brown, James and Michael Walsh):
Rasual Butler:
Paul George, who then nominated Pacers season-ticket holders, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Peyton Manning, and Andrew Luck.
Ryan Carr, the Pacers’ Director of Scouting:
Senior Public Information Manager Krissy Myers:
Stephenson followed through, took the bucket of water and nominated “the world.”
A couple of other former Pacers got involved, first – Reggie Miller:
Dressed sharply in a suit and tie, the Hall of Famer took it beachside and then challenged his former teammate Mark Jackson, along with TNT colleagues Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal.
As did Sam Young, who challenged Stephenson, Vogel, and David West.
Two things we learned: 1) Special things can happen when folks join together, and 2) people must learn to shoot video on their iPhones horizontally, NOT vertically.