Houston Rockets donate $100,000 from viewing party ticket sales

Thousands of Rockets fans flocked to the Toyota Center Saturday night for Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, despite the series returning to the Bay Area. The Houston franchise opened the building for just $10 per ticket to support the Santa Fe Memorial Fund. This simple gesture resulted in a sold-out event that raised thousands of dollars for the suburban community.

In total, the Rockets sold 10,000 tickets with proceeds going to victims of the May 18 shooting at a high school outside Houston, which left ten people dead and a dozen injured. The $100,000 donation is just the latest way the Rockets are volunteering to help the suburban community heal.

Team Owner Tilman Fertitta donated 300 tickets to Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals to the Santa Fe High School senior class as well as first responders. That night the club also used the internal 50/50 raffle to raise more money for the memorial fund.

“We’re just trying to do our little part, that’s all,” Fertitta, who grew up in Galveston County, near Santa Fe, told local television station KPRC. “I’m just trying to create a special day where, 30 years from now, they’ll think about that last Western Conference game instead of what they had to go through in their last days as a senior.”

In addition to the work being done by the Rockets, Houston Texans star JJ Watt has pledged to cover funeral costs for those who died in the shooting.

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Blake Schuster is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Do you have any advice? Send him an email to [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Schustee