Ex-NBA Star Launches Affordable Housing Development

At a time when both the public and private sectors seem baffled on how to stem the evaporation of affordable housing options, a former basketball star has taken the initiative in addressing the problem.

According to a report on TheRoot.com, Devean George (pictured right), who played with the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, has returned to his childhood community in North Minneapolis to develop a 47-unit building that will include a grocery co-op. The project is being created along with architect Jamil Ford, a former classmate of George’s.

“Housing, I believe, is the foundation to doing whatever you want to do,” George said. “If you don’t have stable housing, you’re not worried about education, you’re not worried about eating healthy, you’re not worried about anything else.”

George and Ford plan to create more affordable housing developments after the completion of their first endeavor.

“This is just the start,” George said. “This is just the catalyst of everything that’s going to go on.”