Vote for the 2020-21 NBA Cares Seasonlong Community Assist Award

The NBA is delighted to reveal the ten candidates for the 2020-21 Season NBA Cares Community Assist Award, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. Each player has demonstrated remarkable dedication to their community and a positive influence beyond the basketball court.

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Below are the nominees.

DeAndre’ Bembry

Benefiting Charity: AP World

Since his NBA inception, DeAndre’ Bembry has been intensely involved in philanthropic efforts. Mourning the loss of his brother Adrien to gun violence just weeks before the 2016 NBA Draft, DeAndre’ established the AP World organization. The organization’s mission is to foster safer communities and equip families with the necessary resources to cope with and triumph over grief.

Throughout the year, DeAndre’ has been actively involved with AP World, participating in various charitable activities such as providing Thanksgiving meals for families, partnering with Operation Warm for Children’s Aid in Toronto to distribute brand new coats to children in need, and donating 500 pairs of new shoes to the Boys & Girls Club Youth in Indianapolis in February, in collaboration with Shoes that Fit. In addition, during the first week of February, which marks National Gun Violence Survivors week, Bembry took part in a virtual roundtable discussion with an all-athlete panel where he shared his experiences and advocated for gun safety.

In April, DeAndre’ took part in a virtual school assembly for the Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Program in Toronto. The program aims to combat bullying, discrimination, and racism by fostering an environment of equity, diversity, and inclusion. It also encourages students to stand up against these issues. Bembry’s online presentation, showcasing how to weather tough times and emerge stronger, was streamed to thousands of young people in over 100 Ontario schools.

Bembry is set to participate in a Wear Orange virtual panel as part of the 7th Annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 4, where he will share his family’s story. His undoubted commitment to safety in response to gun violence is inspiring, as he has managed to transform a heartbreaking event into a foundation that assists other families in dealing with grief.

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Devin Booker

Benefiting Charity: Phoenix Suns Charities

The May NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente was given to Phoenix Suns guard, Devin Booker, in acknowledgement of his ongoing dedication to assisting youth and families in the larger Phoenix area.

In May, five local nonprofits were stunned at a Suns home game when Booker announced that they were part of the 2020-21 cohort of the Devin Booker Starting Five initiative. The announcement was made through a pre-recorded message during the game. The fortunate organizations were Arizona Autism United, Central Arizona Shelter Services, YMCA of Southern Arizona, GAP Ministries, and Elevate Phoenix. Each of these organizations received a $100,000 grant from Booker to help meet critical funding needs following the pandemic and to support their work in improving the lives of local families and youth. To celebrate and further benefit the 2020-21 cohort, Booker and Phoenix Suns Charities launched a limited-edition Devin Booker Starting Five hoodie, designed by Booker himself. These unique hoodies were available for a limited period, with all the proceeds going to Phoenix Suns Charities.

The second set of five organizations is part of the Devin Booker Starting Five initiative. This program provides annual donations of $500,000, split between five youth-focused nonprofits in Arizona. Over five years, this totals to a donation of $2.5 million. The first class of organizations — Special Olympics Arizona, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center, UMOM New Day Centers and Ability 360— received their $100,000 grants late in 2019. Besides the Starting Five initiative, Booker also supports local youth and families through COVID-19 relief efforts and holiday shopping sprees. Additionally, as a Special Olympics Global Ambassador, he promotes inclusivity in sports.

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Joel Embiid

Benefiting Charity: Covenant House Pennsylvania

In March, Joel Embiid, the center for the Philadelphia 76ers, was recognized with the Community Assist Award. Embiid, who had been selected as a starting player in the NBA All-Star game for the fourth year in a row, maintained his commitment to fighting homelessness in Philadelphia. His contributions included a $100,000 donation split among three local organizations: Youth Services Inc., Project HOME, and Sunday Breakfast Mission. Additionally, Embiid provided 15,000 meals, 4,000 essential clothing items, and medical treatment for 1,000 individuals dealing with housing insecurity. He also funded access to a six-week summer camp for 50 homeless youth and provided shelter for over 300 teenagers facing housing instability.

Embiid showed his support for the local community by helping five families severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He generously provided each family with gifts, clothing, groceries, and a year’s worth of rent relief.

Over the past year, Embiid has concentrated many of his community initiatives on COVID-19 relief. At the beginning of the pandemic, he teamed up with 76ers Managing Partners, Josh Harris and David Blitzer to donate $1.3 million to Penn Medicine for the development of antibody testing for frontline healthcare workers. Further demonstrating his support for these healthcare workers, Embiid committed $500,000 through the #FirstRespondersFirst campaign. This is a joint initiative by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Thrive Global, and the CAA Foundation, aiming to supply PPE to frontline workers.

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Jrue Holiday

Benefiting Charity: The Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund

Jrue Holiday, guard for the Milwaukee Bucks, and Josh Richardson, guard for the Dallas Mavericks, jointly received the January NBA Cares Community Assist Award, which was presented by Kaiser Permanente.

Jrue Holiday and his wife, Lauren, collaborated with the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation to support small, women- and Black-owned businesses after he joined the Bucks in November. They assessed grant requests and in January, they announced funding for seven local businesses. The beneficiaries include Amri Counseling Services, Carter’s Quality Care, Hands at Home, Jamaican Season Island Restaurant, Kid’s Kingdom, Legacy Home Health Services and The SW Retreat. These businesses offer a range of services in southeastern Wisconsin such as assisted living, home health, childcare, mental health and substance abuse services, hospitality among others.

Holiday has also dedicated himself to long-term support of communities that hold significance in his life. This includes his promise to donate the balance of his 2020 NBA salary to The Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Justice Fund. This fund aims to battle systemic racism and augment economic inequality by offering financial assistance and support to Black-led organizations and businesses. Earlier in the season, the fund declared its support for 25 non-profits and historically Black institutions, along with 23 Black-owned small businesses in Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Indianapolis.

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Damian Lillard

Benefiting Charity: Special Olympics Oregon

Damian Lillard, guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, was awarded the April NBA Cares Community Assist Award by Kaiser Permanente. This is in acknowledgement of his ongoing work to empower the youth of Portland.

Lillard has been dedicated to investing in and mentoring local high school students in Portland through his RESPECT program since moving there in 2012. The program supports, encourages, and celebrates three local high schools: McDaniel, Parkrose, and Roosevelt. This year, due to the global pandemic and the shift to virtual learning, the RESPECT program had to adapt to stay connected with the students. Lillard responded by maintaining contact with participants through video visits and used his social media platforms to showcase students and teachers who embodied the program’s principles. With schools resuming in-person learning, he supplied RESPECT branded face masks for students and staff involved in the program.

Lillard launched a special edition of his Dame7 shoe, the RESPECT edition, exclusively for students in the program. The 500 pairs made included the school colors of McDaniel, Parkrose, and Roosevelt and had the three RESPECT principles: Show Up, Work Hard, and Be Kind. Lillard donated the shoes to RESPECT’s partner schools as a reward for students embodying these principles and wore the sneakers multiple times during the season. Beyond RESPECT, Lillard continued as an ambassador for the Moda Assist Program, in association with Moda Health and the Trail Blazers. This program donates $20 for every assist made during the season towards building inclusive playgrounds across Oregon. This year, the funds will help Astoria build an all-abilities playground and improve their community.

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Patty Mills

Benefiting Charity: Urban Indigenous Health

San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills took home the February NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente in recognition of his continued efforts to create opportunities that empower Indigenous young people and advance social justice in his native Australia.

In February, the Indigenous Community Basketball League (ICBL), a first of its kind initiative by Indigenous Basketball Australia, started in eight different locations across Australia. The organization, established by Mills, aims to create opportunities for Aboriginal Australians in basketball. The league is for players aged 14 and under, with tournaments that not only focus on basketball skills but also promote Indigenous cultural practices and life skills education. This includes mental and physical well-being and strengthening personal identity at a critical age. Moreover, Mills collaborated with the NBA and the Jr. NBA to unveil the National Indigenous Basketball Tournament (NIBT). This event is set to take place at the Gold Coast in Queensland from April 11-13, offering further on- and off-court development opportunities for 48 boys and girls.

Mills has committed a significant portion of his professional career in the United States towards improving conditions back home in Australia, specifically aiming to uplift Indigenous youth and communities of color. He donated the rest of his 2019-20 season salary to social justice organizations in 2020, and was also involved in the initiation of the ‘We Got You’ campaign alongside other prominent Australian athletes. This campaign is aimed at eradicating racism, exclusion, and discrimination within the realm of sports. In response to the devastating Australian bushfires earlier the same year, Mills coordinated a donation of $750,000 from nine Australian NBA players.

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Donovan Mitchell

Benefiting Charity: Children’s Village

Donovan Mitchell, a guard for the Utah Jazz, was honored with the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award from Kaiser Permanente. This recognition was due to his sustained efforts to promote education and further social justice during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 NBA seasons.

In December, the Mitchell family donated $12 million to Greenwich Country Day School, the largest single donation in the school’s history. This school is not only the alma mater of Donovan and his sister Jordan, but also where their mother, Nicole, taught for over ten years. The donation will establish the Mitchell Family Scholarship Fund, which will support students from pre-K-12th grade, and the Nicole Mitchell Faculty Support Fund, which will aid teachers who share Nicole’s passion for teaching. Additionally, the funds will go towards the creation of the new D.O.N.! The Determination Over Negativity Mitchell Family Athletic Center. This past summer, Mitchell also gave the proceeds from his Adidas D.O.N. Issue #2 sneakers, amounting to over $300,000, to Jacob Blake’s children’s education, students of color at the University of Louisville, and teachers at preschools in Connecticut and the Bronx for scholarships and academic assistance.

Mitchell continued to voice his opposition to racial injustice during the 2019-20 NBA season restart and beyond, even taking part in a discussion on educational, economic, and social inequalities with then vice-presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, CJ McCollum of Portland, and Tobias Harris of Philadelphia. He was also appointed to the first board of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition, an organization aiming to use the influence of basketball to promote awareness, education, and meaningful reform. Moreover, Mitchell consistently supports those in need through his SPIDACARES organization.

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Larry Nance Jr.

Benefiting Charity: Athletes vs. Chron’s

Larry Nance Jr., a basketball and community icon from Northeast Ohio, has decided to help small businesses suffering due to COVID-19. He pledged to use every regular season game to boost pre-chosen local businesses by giving all auction proceeds from his worn game jerseys. Both Larry and the Cavs agree to match these proceeds, tripling the donation each business receives.

Larry’s social media challenge resulted in him receiving hundreds of packages from local businesses eager to be featured during his pregame walk-up. Furthermore, the Cavs FieldHouse Creative Team conducts post-game interviews with these small business owners, which are showcased on Cavs digital platforms. This not only gives fans a deeper understanding of the businesses but also helps to share their story with the wider Northeast Ohio community.

Larry managed to raise over $222k and generate significant exposure for 72 deserving small businesses as the Cavs season ended. Additionally, Westfield, a corporate partner of the Cavs, matched the funds raised through Larry’s jersey auction with an extra $100K donation. This generous contribution was directed towards the Urban League of Greater Cleveland and the Akron Urban League, both of which support minority-owned businesses. Moreover, in 2017, Larry founded the Athletes vs Chron’s and Colitis foundation. Its goal is to increase awareness of these diseases among adolescents and assist children in achieving their athletic potential, regardless of their diagnosis.

Throughout the pandemic, Larry utilized his platform to talk about the mental and physical effects of COVID-19 on individuals with pre-existing auto-immune conditions.

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Josh Richardson

Benefiting Charity: Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors

Shortly before the start of the 2020-21 season, Richardson joined the Mavericks and immediately aimed to make a significant contribution in the wider Dallas area. He unexpectedly gifted dozens of frontline health care workers from UT Southwestern Medical Center with Reebok sneakers, team merchandise, and a surprise video message expressing gratitude for their continuous efforts in maintaining community safety. Additionally, Richardson paid a surprise visit to a first-grade class in the Dallas Independent School District as a guest reader, encouraging the students to value reading and education amidst the unique challenges of the current school year.

Richardson, the son of an Air Force servicewoman, has maintained his involvement with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a program that offers support and resources to those mourning the loss of a military servicemember. Over the years, he has fostered a tight-knit bond with his mentee, Elijah, through this program. Additionally, during the festive season, he generously gifted over 20 families who, like him, have lost a loved one in service.

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Russell Westbrook

Benefiting Charity: Russell Westbrook Why Not? Foundation

Russell Westbrook continues to make a positive impact in the communities where he lives and plays. As he adjusts to a new team market, Westbrook has collaborated with the LA Promise Fund to establish the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Academy in his native Los Angeles. This academy, which caters to middle and high school students, will enhance access to educational resources and outdoor activities for children and the wider community in South Los Angeles. In 2012, Westbrook set up The Why Not? Foundation with the primary aim of providing assistance to vulnerable populations, including education, mental health resources, and workforce tools. The foundation also encourages young people to think creatively, pursue their dreams and never give up, regardless of the challenges they face. In November, Westbrook and his foundation teamed up with the L.A. Regional Food Bank to provide Thanksgiving meals for the ninth consecutive year to Los Angeles residents.

In December, Russell organized a unique Christmas sneaker giveaway for all students at The Children’s Guild District of Columbia Public Charter School, which caters to many students from homeless or unstable housing situations. Then, in February, Russell partnered with Varo Bank in an advisory capacity, aiming to mitigate income disparities through financial literacy programs for minority communities. Besides his direct community outreach, Westbrook has also been proactive in educating communities about the various injustices that Black people in America have endured throughout history.

In April, Russell announced that he was producing a documentary on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, an event frequently neglected and not taught in American history, set to premiere on May 30.

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