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

The NBA is delighted to unveil the 10 candidates for the NBA Cares Community Assist Award, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, for the 2020-21 season. Each of these players has demonstrated an impressive dedication 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 beginning his career in the NBA, DeAndre’ Bembry has committed himself to philanthropic efforts. He founded the AP World organization in honor of his brother Adrien, who tragically died from gun violence just weeks before the 2016 NBA Draft. AP World is committed to creating safer communities and supporting families by providing resources to help them cope and recover from grief.

Throughout the year, DeAndre’ has been actively involved with AP World, partaking in several charitable activities. These include providing Thanksgiving meals to families, collaborating with Operation Warm for Children’s Aid in Toronto to supply brand new coats for children in need, and donating 500 pairs of brand-new shoes to the Boys & Girls Club Youth in Indianapolis in February through a partnership with Shoes that Fit. Furthermore, in the run-up to National Gun Violence Survivors week in the first week of February, Bembry participated in a virtual round-table discussion as part of an all-athlete panel, where 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 prevent bullying, discrimination, and racism by cultivating a culture of fairness, diversity, and inclusion. It also empowers students to take action. Bembry’s online presentation reached thousands of young people across 100 schools in Ontario. The goal was to teach students how to navigate through difficult times and emerge stronger.

Bembry is joining a Wear Orange virtual panel as part of the 7th Annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 4, sharing his family’s story. His undeniably inspiring commitment to safety due to gun violence has led him to transform a devastating incident into a foundation that supports other families coping 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 acknowledges his ongoing dedication to helping children and families in the wider Phoenix region.

In a surprising move in May, Booker made an announcement during a Suns home game, revealing the 2020-21 class of his Devin Booker Starting Five initiative. Five local nonprofit organizations – Arizona Autism United, Central Arizona Shelter Services, YMCA of Southern Arizona, GAP Ministries, and Elevate Phoenix – were the recipients of this honor. Each organization received a $100,000 grant from Booker to help them meet critical funding needs in the wake of the pandemic and support their work to better the lives of local youths and families. To further celebrate and assist the 2020-21 class, Booker collaborated with Phoenix Suns Charities to create a limited-edition Devin Booker Starting Five hoodie, featuring the names of the selected nonprofits. These unique hoodies, designed by Booker himself, were available for purchase for a short period, with all proceeds going to Phoenix Suns Charities.

The Devin Booker Starting Five initiative, which annually donates $500,000 to five different youth-focused nonprofits in Arizona, has selected its second class of organizations. This amounts to a total of $2.5 million over five years. The first class, which included Special Olympics Arizona, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center, UMOM New Day Centers, and Ability 360, received their $100,000 grants in late 2019. Beyond his Starting Five initiative, Booker has also made significant contributions to youth and families in the Valley through COVID-19 relief and holiday shopping sprees. Furthermore, he actively promotes inclusion through sport in his role as a Special Olympics Global Ambassador.

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Joel Embiid

Benefiting Charity: Covenant House Pennsylvania

In March, Joel Embiid, center for the Philadelphia 76ers, was recognized with the Community Assist Award. This accolade came the same month he was selected as an NBA All-Star starter for the fourth year running. Embiid, committed to eradicating homelessness in Philadelphia, donated $100,000 to three local organizations: Youth Services Inc., Project HOME, and Sunday Breakfast Mission. Beyond this, he supplied 15,000 meals, 4,000 essential clothing items, and medical assistance for 1,000 people with housing issues. He also facilitated access to a six-week summer camp for 50 homeless youths and provided shelter for over 300 teenagers dealing with housing instability.

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

Embiid has concentrated much of his community work in the past year 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. He also pledged $500,000 through the #FirstRespondersFirst campaign, a joint initiative by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Thrive Global and the CAA Foundation, to supply PPE to frontline workers, further demonstrating his ongoing support for healthcare 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 and his wife, Lauren, teamed up with the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation after he joined the Bucks in November. They aimed to identify small businesses-mostly women and Black-owned- that required assistance. After evaluating grant applications, the Holiday family announced in January that seven local businesses would receive funding. These businesses, which provide a range of services 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. Their services range from assisted living and home health to childcare, mental health and substance abuse services, hospitality, and more.

Holiday has also taken a long-term pledge to support communities that are significant to him. This includes his promise to donate 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 promote economic equality by offering financial aid and support to Black-led organizations and enterprises. The fund has previously 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, earlier this season.

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Damian Lillard

Benefiting Charity: Special Olympics Oregon

Damian Lillard, a guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, was presented with the April NBA Cares Community Assist Award by Kaiser Permanente. This award recognizes his ongoing endeavors to empower the youth in Portland.

Since moving to Portland in 2012, Lillard has dedicated himself to mentoring and investing in local teenagers through his RESPECT program, which 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, the RESPECT program adapted to keep engaging with students. Lillard ensured communication with participants through video calls and used his social media platforms to spotlight students and teachers who embodied the program’s principles. Once in-person learning resumed, he provided RESPECT-branded face masks for those involved in the program.

Lillard introduced a special RESPECT edition of his Dame7 shoe, exclusively for students in the program. This limited run of 500 pairs featured the school colors of McDaniel, Parkrose and Roosevelt, and embodied the three RESPECT principles: Show Up, Work Hard, and Be Kind. These shoes were gifted by Lillard to RESPECT’s affiliated schools as a reward for students embodying these principles. He also wore these sneakers several times during the season. Besides RESPECT, Lillard maintained his ambassador role for the Moda Assist Program, a partnership with Moda Health and the Trail Blazers. This program donates $20 for each assist made during the season to fund the creation of inclusive playgrounds for all abilities across Oregon. This year, the funds will be used to aid the city of Astoria in building a playground for all abilities, enhancing 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.

Indigenous Basketball Australia, established by Mills to create opportunities for Aboriginal Australians in basketball, launched the inaugural Indigenous Community Basketball League (ICBL) in February. The league is for players aged 14 and under and will be held in eight different Australian locations. These tournaments aim to uphold and commemorate Indigenous cultural practices while focusing on basketball skill development and life skills education. This includes the promotion of mental and physical health and the reinforcement of personal identity at a vital age. Moreover, Mills collaborated with the NBA and the Jr. NBA to unveil the National Indigenous Basketball Tournament (NIBT), which will take place on the Gold Coast in Queensland from April 11-13. This event will offer extra on-court and off-court development opportunities for 48 boys and girls.

Mills has spent a significant portion of his professional career in the U.S. focusing on giving back to his home country, Australia, with special emphasis on lifting Indigenous youth and communities of color. In 2020, he donated his remaining salary for the 2019-20 season to organizations dedicated to social justice and collaborated with other well-known Australian athletes to launch the ‘We Got You’ campaign, aimed at eradicating racism, exclusion, and discrimination in sports. Following the disastrous Australian bushfires earlier in the same year, Mills coordinated a substantial 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 awarded the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award by Kaiser Permanente. This award honors his ongoing work promoting social justice and advocating for education during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 NBA seasons.

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

Mitchell continued to voice his stance against racial injustice during the 2019-20 NBA season restart and carried on the conversation into 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. He was also appointed to the first board of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition, an organization that uses the influence of basketball to raise awareness, educate, and push for significant reform. Through his SPIDACARES organization, Mitchell is regularly involved in philanthropic efforts to assist those in need.

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Larry Nance Jr.

Benefiting Charity: Athletes vs. Chron’s

Larry Nance Jr., a beloved basketball figure and community leader in his home region of Northeast Ohio, has made a commitment to support local businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He has pledged to use each regular season game as a platform to promote pre-chosen local businesses, by auctioning off his game-worn jerseys and donating all the proceeds. With both Larry and the Cavaliers matching these proceeds, each small business receives three times the initial donation.

Larry’s social media challenge attracted hundreds of packages from local businesses eager to be highlighted during his pregame walk-up. Furthermore, the Cavs FieldHouse Creative Team conducts post-game interviews with the small business owners, which are then featured on Cavs digital platforms. This gives fans a deeper insight into the business while also promoting their story throughout the Northeast Ohio community.

The Cavs season concluded with Larry managing to gather over $222k and providing invaluable exposure for 72 deserving small enterprises. Moreover, Westfield, a Cavs corporate partner, matched Larry’s jersey auction fundraising with a further donation of $100k to the Urban League of Greater Cleveland and the Akron Urban League. Both of these organizations support minority-owned businesses. On a different note, Larry started the Athletes vs Chron’s and Colitis foundation in 2017. This charity focuses on raising awareness of the two diseases among adolescents and assists children in reaching their athletic potential, notwithstanding 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 beginning of the 2020-21 season, Richardson joined the Mavericks and immediately aimed to contribute positively to the larger Dallas community. He surprised numerous frontline health care workers at UT Southwestern Medical Center with Reebok sneakers, team merchandise and an unexpected video message of gratitude for their continuous efforts in maintaining community safety. In addition, he made a surprise visit to a Dallas Independent School District first grade class as a guest reader, not only surprising the students but also motivating them to value reading and education amidst the unique challenges of this school year.

Richardson, the son of an Air Force servicewoman, has maintained his involvement with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a program aimed at providing support and resources to those mourning the loss of a servicemember. Over several years, he has fostered a close bond with his mentee, Elijah, through the program. In addition, during the holiday season, he gave gifts to over 20 families who have also 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 lasting impact in the communities where he lives and plays. As he adjusts to a new team market, Westbrook has partnered with the LA Promise Fund to establish the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Academy in his hometown of Los Angeles. The academy aims to improve access to education and outdoor activities for middle and high school students and the wider community in south Los Angeles. In 2012, Westbrook set up The Why Not? Foundation, a charity committed to supporting at-risk groups by providing educational resources, mental health services, and employment tools, while encouraging youngsters to be creative, chase their dreams, and remain resilient, regardless of the challenges they face. In November, Westbrook and his foundation collaborated with the L.A. Regional Food Bank to hand out Thanksgiving meals to Los Angeles residents for the ninth consecutive year.

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 primarily serves students from homeless or unstable housing situations. In February, he teamed up with Varo Bank, taking on an advisory role to help address income inequalities. This collaboration focuses on programs aimed at enhancing financial literacy within minority communities. Besides his direct community outreach, Westbrook is also actively involved in educating communities about the different injustices that Black people have endured in the United States throughout history.

In April, Russell announced that he was creating a documentary about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, a frequently ignored and untold event in American history. The documentary is set to premiere on May 30.

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