NBA Star Taj Gibson Donates $40K To Slain Bed-Stuy Mothers' Orphaned Daughters

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — An NBA star donated $20,000 to the nine-year-old daughter of a Bed-Stuy woman who was shot to death in a July shoot-out, less than one week after he donated the same amount to the second victim’s daughter.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Taj Gibson made his donation on Monday to a GoFundMe campaign for the nine-year-old daughter of Shaquanda Staley, the young mother was shot to death outside the Stuyvesant Garden Houses on July 12.

“We lost a beautiful soul through an act of cowardness,” wrote the campaign organizer, James Staley. “Two gunmen shot into a crowded party and an angel was struck down.”

“Any donations would be greatly appreciated as it will help her family support her daughter.”

Staley did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The donation came five days after Gibson, who hails from Brooklyn, donated $20,000 to the daughter of Chynna Battle, 21, another young mother killed in the fatal Bed-Stuy shooting.

Shaquanda Staley’s GoFundMe campaign surpassed its $10,000 goal with Gibson’s donation and reached $20,700 by Tuesday afternoon.

Staley and Battle are not believed to have been the targets of the shooting. Police believe the two gunman may have been seeking revenge for a previous shooting and missed their aim.

The 32-year-old NBA player is an alum of the Chicago Bulls, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and signed a $28 million contract in July to play with the Timberwolves, according to reports.

The press representative from the Minnesota Timberwolves did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Photo courtesy of Alonzo Adams/Associated Press