Olden Polynice, Former National Basketball Association Player, Appointed Haitian Ambassador

Haitian President Michel Martelly With Ambassador Olden Polynice (HaitiLibre.com)

A Private Ceremony was held at the National Palace in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti

Los Angeles, November 19, 2012 – Olden Polynice, former National Basketball Association (NBA) Player, was appointed as the newest Ambassador to Haiti. In a private ceremony held at the National Palace in Port – Au- Prince, the capitol of Haiti, President Michel Martelly presented Polynice with a special certification and discussed Polynice’s role in aiding Haiti in their continued efforts to grow and build a sustainable Haiti. Polynice joins an A-list of celebrities recently named Ambassador including Sean Penn, Maria Bello, and Petra Nemacova.

Born November 21, 1964 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Polynice moved to the United States as a child with his family in search of the American Dream. This dream would be realized as Polynice was later drafted to the NBA playing 15 years in the league for the Seattle SuperSonics, Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, and Utah Jazz. Polynice hopes to use his visibility in the sports community to give Haiti a voice and to bring awareness to the nation’s cause.

Polynice has always been politically involved and supportive of Haitian efforts. During his basketball career, it wasn’t unheard of to find Polynice speaking out on behalf of Haiti and other injustices. In 1993, Polynice staged a hunger strike in protest of the U.S. immigration policies on Haitian refugees. In 2010, during the catastrophic earthquake which paralyzed Haiti, Polynice made several national pleas to mobilize support for Haiti, including helping to raise funds during the national Hope For Haiti charity telethon along-side other celebrities including Jack Nicolson, Mel Gibson, Drew Carey, Daniel Craig, Wyclef Jean, Rihanna and many others.

In 2010, Polynice established a relationship with the Clinton-Bush Haiti fund to publicize and aid Haiti’s recovery efforts and to ensure that Haiti is never forgotten. His appointment as Ambassador will help move his life’s work forward. In the role of Ambassador, Polynice aims to work towards building fundraising efforts to help Haiti continue its path to growth and recovery.