Kings’ Len, Raptors’ Mykhailiuk condemn attacks on homeland

Kings center Alex Len could only watch with dismay as Russia launched a widespread attack on his Ukrainian homeland Wednesday with bombs, missiles and bodies falling far too close to home.

There were questions about Len’s whereabouts when the Kings reconvened for practice this week after five days away for the All-Star break. Interim coach Alvin Gentry said Len missed practice Tuesday after having “trouble with his flight.” There was still no sign of Len when media entered the team’s practice facility Wednesday, but sources told The Sacramento Bee that Len was in Sacramento on Thursday as the Kings prepared to play the Denver Nuggets at Golden 1 Center.

Len and fellow Ukrainian Svi Mykhailiuk of the Toronto Raptors issued a joint statement Thursday condemning the attack on their country.

“A great tragedy befell our dear homeland Ukraine,” they said. “We categorically condemn the war. Ukraine is a peaceful, sovereign state inhabited by people who want to decide their own destiny. We pray for our families, friends, relatives and all the people who are in the territory of Ukraine. We hope for an end to this terrible war as soon as possible. Dear fellow Ukrainians, hold on! Our strength is in unity! We are with you!”

Len, 28, was born in Antratsyt, Ukraine, a city in the southern part of the Luhansk province in the Donbas region along the Russian border. The region has been controlled by Russian-backed separatists since the Ukrainian revolution in 2014.

Len updated his Instagram story twice as the crisis began to unfold Wednesday. The first post featured praying hands and Ukrainian flag emojis with a news story about Russian president Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a military operation in the Donbas region. The second post included news footage with a breaking news banner stating that air raid sirens were being heard in the capital city of Kyiv.