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

The NBA is delighted to reveal the ten contenders for the NBA Cares Community Assist Award 2020-21 Season, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. These players have demonstrated an exceptional dedication to their communities 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 career began, DeAndre’ Bembry has been a committed philanthropist. He established the AP World organization in tribute to his brother Adrien, who tragically lost his life to gun violence just weeks before the 2016 NBA Draft. The organization’s mission is to build safer communities and assist families with resources to cope with and conquer grief.

Throughout the year, DeAndre’ has been actively involved with AP World, participating in numerous charitable activities. These include providing Thanksgiving meals for families, partnering with Operation Warm to supply new coats to needy children for the Children’s Aid in Toronto, and donating 500 pairs of brand-new shoes to the Boys & Girls Club Youth in Indianapolis in February, in collaboration with Shoes that Fit. In anticipation of National Gun Violence Survivors week in the first week of February, Bembry joined a virtual roundtable discussion as part of an all-athletes panel. Here, he shared his personal story and advocated for gun safety.

In April, DeAndre’ took part in a virtual school assembly for Toronto’s Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Program. This program aims to combat bullying, discrimination, and racism by fostering a culture of diversity, inclusion, and equity. It also empowers students to take action. His virtual presentation was shown to thousands of young people across 100 schools in Ontario. The goal was to demonstrate to students how to navigate through challenging times and emerge stronger.

Bembry is taking part in a Wear Orange virtual panel, sharing his family’s story, as a part of the 7th Annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 4. His undeniable commitment to safety amidst gun violence is both heartening and inspiring, particularly in how he has transformed a tragic event into a foundation that assists other families in dealing with grief.

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Devin Booker

Benefiting Charity: Phoenix Suns Charities

Devin Booker, a guard for the Phoenix Suns, was recognized for his ongoing dedication to supporting young people and families in the wider Phoenix area. He was honored with the May NBA Cares Community Assist Award, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.

In May, five local nonprofits were stunned when Booker announced at a Suns home game their selection as the 2020-21 class for the Devin Booker Starting Five initiative. The announcement came via a pre-recorded message during the game. Arizona Autism United, Central Arizona Shelter Services, YMCA of Southern Arizona, GAP Ministries, and Elevate Phoenix each received a $100,000 grant from Booker. The funds will help address their urgent funding needs in the aftermath of the pandemic and aid their endeavors to enhance the lives of local children and families. To further honor and support the 2020-21 class, Booker, alongside Phoenix Suns Charities, launched a limited-edition Devin Booker Starting Five hoodie featuring the selected nonprofits. All proceeds from the sale of these unique hoodies, designed by Booker himself, will go to Phoenix Suns Charities.

The Devin Booker Starting Five initiative, which annually donates $500,000 to five different youth-focused nonprofits in Arizona, has its second class of five organizations. Over five years, the initiative contributes a total of $2.5 million. The inaugural class, including 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 at the end of 2019. Beyond his Starting Five initiative, Booker has also provided substantial aid to youth and families in the Valley through COVID-19 relief efforts and holiday shopping sprees. Additionally, as a Special Olympics Global Ambassador, he actively advocates for inclusion through sport.

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Joel Embiid

Benefiting Charity: Covenant House Pennsylvania

In March, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was recognized with the Community Assist Award. The same month, the four-time consecutive NBA All-Star starter extended his commitment to addressing homelessness in Philadelphia by donating $100,000 to three local organizations: Youth Services Inc., Project HOME, and Sunday Breakfast Mission. Besides this, Embiid provided 15,000 meals for the needy, 4,000 essential clothing items, and medical treatment for 1,000 individuals dealing with housing insecurity. He also facilitated access to a six-week summer camp for 50 homeless youths, and provided shelter to over 300 teenagers confronting housing instability.

Embiid showed his support for local community members by helping five families that were severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He gave each family gifts and clothes, food supplies, and a year’s worth of rent relief.

Over the past year, a significant portion of Embiid’s community work has been dedicated to COVID-19 relief. Upon the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Embiid, together with 76ers Managing Partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer, donated $1.3 million to Penn Medicine for the development of antibody testing for frontline healthcare workers. In his ongoing commitment to support healthcare workers, he also donated $500,000 via the #FirstRespondersFirst campaign. This campaign, a joint initiative by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Thrive Global, and the CAA Foundation, aims 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 won the January NBA Cares Community Assist Award, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.

After signing with the Bucks in November, Jrue Holiday and his wife, Lauren, teamed up with the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation. Their goal was to identify small businesses owned by women and Black individuals that required the most support. Upon evaluating grant applications, the Holidays announced in January that they would be funding seven local businesses. These included 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 various services in southeastern Wisconsin, ranging from assisted living, home health, childcare, mental health and substance abuse services, to hospitality and more.

Holiday has demonstrated his long-term commitment to helping communities that matter to him. This includes dedicating the rest of his 2020 NBA salary to establish The Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Justice Fund. The purpose of this fund is to fight systemic racism and enhance economic equality. It aims to do this by offering financial support to Black-led organizations and businesses. Earlier this season, the fund announced its backing for 25 non-profits and historically black institutions. It also supports 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, a guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, has been honored with the April NBA Cares Community Assist Award, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. This award acknowledges his ongoing work in empowering the youth of Portland.

Since moving to Portland in 2012, Lillard has dedicated himself to investing in and mentoring high school students through his RESPECT program, which supports, encourages, and celebrates students at three local high schools – McDaniel, Parkrose, and Roosevelt. Despite the challenges of the global pandemic and the shift to online learning, RESPECT adapted to ensure continued engagement with students. Lillard utilized video visits to maintain remote contact with program participants and used his social media platforms to spotlight students and teachers who embodied the program’s principles. When schools resumed in-person classes, he supplied RESPECT-branded face masks for students and staff involved in the program.

Lillard introduced a special RESPECT edition of his Dame7 shoe, designed exclusively for students in the program. The 500 pairs made showcased the colors of McDaniel, Parkrose and Roosevelt schools, and reflected the three RESPECT principles: Show Up, Work Hard, and Be Kind. The shoes were donated to RESPECT’s affiliated schools as a reward for students embodying these principles. Lillard wore the sneakers multiple times during the season. Alongside RESPECT, Lillard remained an ambassador for the Moda Assist Program, a collaboration with Moda Health and the Trail Blazers, which contributes $20 per assist during the season to the construction of inclusive playgrounds across Oregon. This year, Astoria has been chosen to receive funding for the creation of an all-abilities playground, benefiting 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, Indigenous Basketball Australia, a foundation created by Mills to offer opportunities for Aboriginal Australians interested in basketball, launched the inaugural Indigenous Community Basketball League (ICBL). This league, specifically for players 14 years and younger, is held in eight different locations across Australia. These tournaments not only foster basketball skills but also celebrate and maintain Indigenous cultural traditions. They emphasize life skills education, mental and physical health, and the strengthening of personal identity at a crucial age. Furthermore, Mills collaborated with the NBA and the Jr. NBA to unveil the National Indigenous Basketball Tournament (NIBT). This tournament, taking place at the Gold Coast in Queensland from April 11-13, will offer 48 boys and girls additional opportunities for both on-court and off-court development.

Much of Mills’ professional career in the United States has been devoted to enriching Australia, with a specific emphasis on empowering Indigenous youth and communities of color. He directed the rest of his 2019-20 season salary towards social justice organizations in 2020, and initiated the ‘We Got You’ campaign in partnership with other prominent Australian athletes. This campaign aims to eradicate racism, exclusion, and discrimination in sports. In the aftermath of the disastrous Australian bushfires earlier in the same year, Mills orchestrated a $750,000 donation from nine Australian NBA players.

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Donovan Mitchell

Benefiting Charity: Children’s Village

The NBA Cares Community Assist Award, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, was awarded to Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell in recognition of his ongoing work to promote social justice and education during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 NBA seasons.

In December, the Mitchell family donated $12 million to Greenwich Country Day School, where Donovan and his sister Jordan attended and their mother, Nicole, taught for over ten years. This donation was the school’s largest single contribution in its history, and it will be used to establish the Mitchell Family Scholarship Fund for pre-K-12th grade students, the Nicole Mitchell Faculty Support Fund for passionate teachers, and the new D.O.N.! The Determination Over Negativity Mitchell Family Athletic Center. Furthermore, this past summer, Mitchell gave the earnings from his Adidas D.O.N. Issue #2 sneakers to the educational funds for Jacob Blake’s children, students of color at the University of Louisville, and teachers at preschools in Connecticut and the Bronx. This amounted to over $300,000 in scholarships and academic aid.

Mitchell continued his steadfast dedication to address racial injustice during the 2019-20 NBA season restart by continuing the conversation into the offseason. He joined a discussion on educational, economic, and social disparities with Sen. Kamala Harris, who was then a vice-presidential candidate, as well as with Portland’s CJ McCollum and Philadelphia’s Tobias Harris. In addition to this, Mitchell was appointed to the first board of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition. This group aims to use the influence of basketball to raise awareness, educate, and push for significant reform. Mitchell also consistently supports those in need through his organization, SPIDACARES.

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Larry Nance Jr.

Benefiting Charity: Athletes vs. Chron’s

In his native Northeast Ohio, Larry Nance Jr. is a beloved figure in both basketball and local communities. In light of the severe effects of COVID-19 on small businesses, Larry has pledged to dedicate each regular season game to supporting pre-chosen local businesses. He achieves this by donating all proceeds from auctions of his game-worn jerseys. Both Larry and the Cavaliers contribute to match the proceeds, which effectively triples the donation each small business receives.

Larry’s social media challenge resulted in hundreds of packages from local businesses hoping to be highlighted during his pregame walk-up. Furthermore, the Cavs FieldHouse Creative Team conducts post-game interviews with these small business owners, sharing them on Cavs digital platforms. This gives fans a detailed insight into these businesses and enhances their visibility in the Northeast Ohio community.

Larry managed to accumulate over $222k and gain substantial exposure for 72 deserving small businesses as the Cavs season ended. Moreover, Westfield, a corporate partner of Cavs, equaled the funds raised from Larry’s jersey auction by donating an extra $100K to the Urban League of Greater Cleveland and the Akron Urban League. These organizations are dedicated to helping minority-owned businesses. In an unrelated initiative in 2017, Larry established the Athletes vs Chron’s and Colitis foundation. This organization focuses on raising awareness about both diseases among teenagers and supporting children to achieve their athletic potential despite their diagnoses.

Throughout the pandemic, Larry leveraged his platform to address 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 made quick efforts to impact the greater Dallas area. He surprised UT Southwestern Medical Center’s frontline healthcare workers with Reebok sneakers, team merchandise, and a surprise thank you video for their continuous efforts in keeping the community safe. Additionally, he visited a first-grade class in the Dallas Independent School District as a guest reader, surprising and motivating the students to embrace reading and education amidst the unique challenges of this school year.

Richardson, the son of an Air Force servicewoman, has remained involved in the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a program that offers comfort, support, and resources to those mourning the loss of a servicemember. He has fostered a strong bond with his mentee, Elijah, within the program over several years. During the holiday season, he offered gifts to 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 is persistently leaving his mark on the communities where he lives and plays. He recently collaborated with the LA Promise Fund to establish the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Academy in his hometown, Los Angeles, as part of his integration into a new team market. The academy, which caters to middle and high school students, will improve access to education and outdoor activities for the children and wider community in south Los Angeles. In 2012, Westbrook established The Why Not? Foundation with the primary objective of providing services to vulnerable groups, including education, mental health resources, and career tools. The foundation encourages youngsters to think creatively, chase their dreams, and never surrender despite the challenges they face. In November, Westbrook and his foundation teamed up with the L.A. Regional Food Bank for the ninth consecutive year to distribute Thanksgiving meals to Los Angeles residents.

In December, Russell orchestrated a unique Christmas sneaker giveaway for all students at The Children’s Guild District of Columbia Public Charter School, an institution that caters to many students from homeless or precarious housing situations. In February, Russell partnered with Varo Bank in an advisory role, aiming to address income disparities through initiatives designed to enhance financial literacy within minority communities. Furthermore, Westbrook has been proactive in raising awareness about the various injustices that Black individuals in America have endured throughout history, beyond his direct community involvement.

In April, Russell announced he was producing a documentary about the often overlooked and untaught 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in American history. The documentary is set to premiere on May 30.

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