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

The NBA is pleased to unveil the ten candidates for the 2020-21 NBA Cares Community Assist Award, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. Each of these players has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to their community, making a positive difference beyond the basketball court.

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Below are the nominees.

DeAndre’ Bembry

Benefiting Charity: AP World

Since his onset in the NBA, DeAndre’ Bembry has committed himself to charitable works. He founded the AP World organization in honor of his brother Adrien, who tragically fell victim to gun violence just weeks before the 2016 NBA Draft. AP World is devoted to promoting safer communities and offering families the necessary resources to cope with and surmount grief.

Throughout the year, DeAndre’ has been actively involved with AP World, participating in various charitable activities. These include providing Thanksgiving meals for families, supplying brand new coats to needy kids in conjunction with Operation Warm for Children’s Aid in Toronto, and donating 500 pairs of brand new shoes to the Boys & Girls Club Youth in Indianapolis in February through the Shoes that Fit initiative. In addition, prior to National Gun Violence Survivors week in the first week of February, Bembry took part in a virtual roundtable discussion with an all-athlete panel, sharing his personal story and advocating for gun safety.

In April, DeAndre’ took part in a virtual school assembly for the Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Program in Toronto. This initiative aims to stop bullying, discrimination, and racism by fostering a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and also empowers students to take action. Bembry’s online presentation was streamed to thousands of young people in over 100 schools across Ontario, with the aim of teaching students how to overcome difficult times and emerge stronger.

Bembry is set to participate in a Wear Orange virtual panel on June 4, as part of the 7th Annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day, where he will share his family’s story. His unwavering commitment to safety in the face of gun violence is both undeniable and inspiring, particularly in how he has transformed a personal tragedy into a foundation that provides support to other families grappling with grief.

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Devin Booker

Benefiting Charity: Phoenix Suns Charities

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

In May, five local nonprofit organizations were surprised by Booker at a Suns home game. During an in-game, pre-recorded announcement, he revealed they were the chosen beneficiaries of the 2020-21 Devin Booker Starting Five initiative. The recipients, 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 are meant to address funding shortfalls due to the pandemic and aid their endeavors to enhance the lives of local youth and families. To further honor and assist the 2020-21 class, Booker and Phoenix Suns Charities launched a limited-edition Devin Booker Starting Five hoodie featuring the chosen nonprofits. The hoodies were designed by Booker and were available for purchase for a limited period. All proceeds from the sales went to Phoenix Suns Charities.

The five entities are part of the second cohort of the Devin Booker Starting Five, a philanthropic initiative that donates $500,000 annually to five distinct youth-serving nonprofits in Arizona, amounting to $2.5 million over a five-year period. The inaugural group, which included 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. Besides his Starting Five program, Booker has also made substantial contributions to the youth and families in the Valley through COVID-19 relief efforts and holiday shopping sprees. Furthermore, as a Special Olympics Global Ambassador, he actively advocates for inclusion 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. After his fourth consecutive year being named an NBA All-Star starter, Embiid made a generous donation of $100,000 to three Philadelphia-based organizations – Youth Services Inc., Project HOME, and Sunday Breakfast Mission – to help fight homelessness. Besides his large financial contribution, Embiid also provided 15,000 meals, 4,000 essential clothing items, medical treatment for 1,000 individuals facing housing insecurity, a six-week summer camp opportunity for 50 homeless young people, and shelter for over 300 teens dealing with housing instability.

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

Over the past year, Embiid has concentrated much of his community work on COVID-19 relief. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, he teamed up with 76ers Managing Partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer to contribute $1.3 million to Penn Medicine for the development of antibody testing for frontline healthcare staff. In his ongoing commitment to healthcare workers, he promised $500,000 through the #FirstRespondersFirst campaign, a project by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Thrive Global, and the CAA Foundation, 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, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.

Upon their arrival in Milwaukee in November, Jrue and Lauren Holiday collaborated with the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation. Their mission was to identify small businesses, primarily owned by women and Black community members, that required urgent assistance. After evaluating grant applications, in January, the Holiday family declared they would provide financial support to seven local businesses. These businesses, which operate in southeastern Wisconsin, 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. They offer a range of services such as assisted living, home healthcare, childcare, substance abuse and mental health services, hospitality, and more.

Holiday has also shown significant commitment to supporting communities that matter to him. This includes a pledge to dedicate the rest of his 2020 NBA salary to establish The Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Justice Fund. The fund aims to fight systemic racism and enhance economic equality by offering financial aid and support to Black-led organizations and businesses. Earlier this 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

In recognition of his sustained efforts to empower Portland’s youth, Damian Lillard, a guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, received the April NBA Cares Community Assist Award, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.

Since moving to Portland in 2012, Lillard has devoted his efforts to investing in and providing guidance to local high school students through his RESPECT program. This initiative supports, encourages and celebrates students from three local high schools—McDaniel, Parkrose, and Roosevelt. In the face of the global pandemic and the shift to online learning this year, the RESPECT program adapted to maintain student engagement. Lillard stayed connected with the program participants through virtual visits and used his social media platforms to spotlight students and teachers embodying 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 unique RESPECT version of his Dame7 shoe, made exclusively for program students. The 500 pairs made had colors from McDaniel, Parkrose, and Roosevelt schools and highlighted the three RESPECT principles: Show Up, Work Hard, and Be Kind. He gave these shoes to RESPECT’s allied schools as a reward for students demonstrating these principles and wore these sneakers multiple times during the season. Alongside RESPECT, he continued his ambassador role for the Moda Assist Program, in collaboration with Moda Health and the Trail Blazers. This program donates $20 for every assist made during the season towards building inclusive playgrounds for all abilities across Oregon. This year, Astoria was chosen to receive funds for constructing an all-abilities playground, improving 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 first-ever Indigenous Community Basketball League (ICBL) was launched in eight locations across Australia for players aged 14 and under. This initiative was spearheaded by Indigenous Basketball Australia, an organization established by Mills to create opportunities for Aboriginal Australians in basketball. The tournaments not only focus on basketball skills but also provide life skills education, promoting mental and physical well-being, and strengthening participants’ individual identities during a crucial stage of their development. These tournaments also honor and uphold Indigenous cultural traditions. Furthermore, Mills collaborated with the NBA and Jr. NBA to unveil the National Indigenous Basketball Tournament (NIBT), scheduled to take place on the Gold Coast in Queensland from April 11-13, offering further basketball training and personal growth opportunities for 48 boys and girls.

Much of Mills’ professional playing career in the United States has been devoted to uplifting Australia, particularly Indigenous youth and communities of color. In 2020, he utilized the rest of his 2019-20 season salary for donations to social justice groups and was instrumental in launching the ‘We Got You’ campaign. This initiative, backed by other notable Australian athletes, aims to eradicate racism, exclusion, and discrimination in sports. In response to the tragic Australian bushfires earlier that year, Mills coordinated a $750,000 donation 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 by Kaiser Permanente. This award recognized his ongoing work to promote social justice and advocate for education during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 NBA seasons.

In December, the Mitchell family made a generous donation of $12 million to Greenwich Country Day School, where Donovan and his sister Jordan studied and their mother, Nicole, taught for over a decade. This donation is the largest single contribution in the school’s history. The funds will be used to establish the Mitchell Family Scholarship Fund for students from pre-K-12th grade, the Nicole Mitchell Faculty Support Fund for passionate teachers, and the D.O.N.! The Determination Over Negativity Mitchell Family Athletic Center. Additionally, Mitchell donated the proceeds from his Adidas D.O.N. Issue #2 sneakers over the summer, which amounted to over $300,000. These funds were used to support the education of Jacob Blake’s children, students of color at the University of Louisville, and teachers at preschools in Connecticut and the Bronx, providing scholarships and academic assistance.

Mitchell’s steadfast dedication to addressing racial injustice during the 2019-20 NBA season didn’t end there. During the offseason, he joined forces with then vice-presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, CJ McCollum of Portland, and Tobias Harris of Philadelphia to discuss educational, economic, and social disparities. In recognition of his efforts, Mitchell was appointed to the inaugural board of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition. The coalition aims to use the influence of the game to raise awareness, educate, and advocate for significant reform. In addition, Mitchell consistently helps those most 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 in his home region of Northeast Ohio, committed to supporting local businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For each regular season game, he pledged to donate the auction proceeds from his game worn jerseys to pre-chosen local businesses. Both Larry and the Cavs contribute an equivalent amount, hence tripling the donations received by each small business.

Larry’s social media challenge resulted in hundreds of packages from local businesses wanting to be featured in his pregame walk-up. The Cavs FieldHouse Creative Team also conducts post-match interviews with these small business owners, which are then showcased on Cavs’ digital platforms. This gives fans a deeper understanding of the businesses and further highlights their stories to the community in Northeast Ohio.

Larry managed to raise more than $222k and provided significant visibility for 72 deserving small businesses as the Cavs season concluded. Cavs corporate partner Westfield also contributed by matching Larry’s jersey auction proceeds with an additional $100K donation to the Urban League of Greater Cleveland and the Akron Urban League, both of which aid minority-owned businesses. In a separate initiative in 2017, Larry started the Athletes vs Chron’s and Colitis foundation, targeting raising awareness of both diseases among young people and helping them achieve their athletic potential in spite of their diagnoses.

Larry utilized his platform during the pandemic 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 2020-21 season began, Richardson became a member of the Mavericks and quickly sought to make a difference in the wider Dallas region. He stunned numerous frontline healthcare workers from UT Southwestern Medical Center by gifting them Reebok sneakers, team merchandise and a surprise video message expressing gratitude for their continuous work in safeguarding the community. Richardson also made a surprise visit to a first-grade class in the Dallas Independent School District as a guest reader, inspiring the students to value reading and education amidst the unique challenges of the school year.

Richardson, the son of an Air Force servicewoman, has remained committed to the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. This program offers solace, support, and resources to those mourning the loss of a servicemember. Over many years, he has fostered a close bond with Elijah, his mentee, through the program. During the festive season, he donated gifts to over 20 families who have similarly experienced the loss of a loved one in service.

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Russell Westbrook

Benefiting Charity: Russell Westbrook Why Not? Foundation

Russell Westbrook continues to make a significant impact in the communities where he resides and plays. He recently partnered with the LA Promise Fund to establish the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Academy in his Los Angeles hometown while adjusting to a new team market. This academy aims to improve access to educational services and outdoor activities for middle and high school students, and the wider south Los Angeles community. In 2012, Westbrook established The Why Not? Foundation, focused on helping at-risk groups by providing education, mental health resources, workforce tools, and motivating young people to think creatively, chase their dreams, and persist despite challenges. In November, Westbrook and his foundation collaborated with the L.A. Regional Food Bank for the ninth consecutive year to provide Thanksgiving meals 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. This school caters to many students from homeless or unstable living situations. Russell furthered his community outreach in February by becoming an advisor for Varo Bank. His aim is to address income inequalities by implementing financial literacy programs for minorities. Besides his direct involvement in community work, Westbrook has also engaged in raising awareness about the various injustices experienced by Black individuals in America throughout history.

In April, Russell announced he was creating a documentary about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, an event frequently ignored and not taught in American history. The documentary is set to premiere on May 30.

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