Jacque Vaughn Says Nets Discussed Hamas-Israel War Ahead of Maccabi Ra’anana Matchup

Ahead of the Brooklyn Nets' Thursday preseason matchup with Israel's Maccabi Ra'anana, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn told reporters that the team has discussed the Hamas attacks on Israel.

"We got together as a group and I talked about just being able to have compassion, to try to educate yourself on what’s going on, and I think a big part of that is having empathy," Vaughn said.

"It’s hard to really put yourself in someone else’s shoes. We talked about how grateful we are that we do get an opportunity to play tonight, and that we get an opportunity to be around each other.”

When asked about the game on Wednesday, Vaughn explained that Brooklyn had reached out to Maccabi Ra'anana but the Israeli team reassured the Nets that it intended to play. Vaughn also expressed his sensitivity to what the Israeli team is going through.

"For me, every night I pray for peace," Vaughn said when asked if the game will hold extra significance. "Peace in this country and peace across the world, and I’ll leave it at that."

Nets forward Nic Clayton expressed his concern about moving forward with the game, due to the war in Maccabi Ra'anana's homeland.

"We feel for them," Claxton said Wednesday. "I don’t think we should be playing the game personally. There’s bigger things than basketball going on."