Leandro Barbosa has made the Suns his family, so news that he left training camp to be with his critically ill mother resonated with teammates and club officials.
“It’s an awful situation,” teammate Steve Nash said. “I’m just really sad for him. I love his mom, and hopefully she’s going to fight through.”
Barbosa joined the Monday team bus to Tucson and attended a team dinner before learning of her sudden illness, “a family emergency,” Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said. Barbosa arrived Tuesday morning in Brazil to be with his “Mama,” Ivete. It is not related to the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma she previously battled. Â
