NBA stars roll up their sleeves in devastated Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans
"It would have been nice to have seen the neighbourhood its heydey"
- Steve Nash stood atop a ladder, chipping away at paint on an exterior window. Inside, Chris Bosh and Dirk Nowitzki painted with wide brush strokes, their long arms extending up to the ceiling in the tiny home that had sat empty for more than two years.
The basketball stars rolled up their sleeves Friday in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, the neighbourhood now infamous for the ravages suffered in hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005.
The NBA players were there to help out for just over an hour, an appearance squeezed into the middle of a hectic day. But they hope their presence, and the spotlight that will shine on the city during this weekend's all-star game, can help propel New Orleans back into the public consciousness. Read more