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

The NBA is thrilled to declare the 10 candidates for the NBA Cares Community Assist Award for the 2020-21 season, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. These players have demonstrated a remarkable dedication to their communities and have made a positive difference 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 shown a strong commitment to philanthropic work. He was motivated to start the AP World organization in memory of his brother, Adrien, who tragically died due to gun violence just weeks before the 2016 NBA Draft. The focus of the organization is to create safer communities and offer resources to families for dealing with and recovering from grief.

Throughout the year, DeAndre’ has been actively involved with AP World. He has provided Thanksgiving meals for families, partnered with Operation Warm to supply new coats for needy children at Children’s Aid in Toronto, and donated 500 pairs of brand new shoes to the Boys & Girls Club Youth in Indianapolis in February, in collaboration with Shoes that Fit. In the first week of February, prior to National Gun Violence Survivors week, Bembry took part in a virtual roundtable discussion with an all-athlete panel to tell his story and promote gun safety.

In April, DeAndre’ took part in a virtual assembly for Toronto’s Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Program. This program aims to counteract bullying, discrimination, and racism while fostering an environment of fairness, diversity, and inclusion. It also empowers students to take a stand. His online presentation, which reached thousands of young people across 100 schools in Ontario, aimed to demonstrate how students can endure difficult times and emerge stronger.

Bembry is taking part in the Wear Orange virtual panel on the occasion of the 7th Annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 4, to recount his family’s story. His dedication to safety against gun violence is unquestionable and it’s inspiring to see how he has transformed a devastating incident into a foundation that assists other families dealing with grief.

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Devin Booker

Benefiting Charity: Phoenix Suns Charities

Devin Booker, a guard for the Phoenix Suns, was given the May NBA Cares Community Assist Award by Kaiser Permanente. This was in honor of his ongoing dedication to aiding youth and families in the larger Phoenix region.

During a Suns home game in May, Booker unexpectedly announced, through a pre-recorded in-game message, the 2020-21 class of his Starting Five initiative. Five local non-profits: Arizona Autism United, Central Arizona Shelter Services, YMCA of Southern Arizona, GAP Ministries, and Elevate Phoenix were each granted $100,000 from Booker. This funding aims to address their critical financial needs post-pandemic and support their mission to improve lives of local families and youth. To further celebrate and support the 2020-21 class, a limited-edition Devin Booker Starting Five hoodie, designed by Booker himself, was made available for purchase. All proceeds from these unique hoodies go to Phoenix Suns Charities.

The Devin Booker Starting Five is a charitable initiative that annually donates $500,000, divided amongst five different youth-oriented nonprofits in Arizona. Over five years, this amounts to a total contribution of $2.5 million. The second class of organizations follows the first class, which received their $100,000 grants in late 2019. The first class included Special Olympics Arizona, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center, UMOM New Day Centers, and Ability 360. Booker, in addition to his Starting Five initiative, has made significant contributions to youth and families in the Valley area through COVID-19 relief efforts and holiday shopping sprees. Further, 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, Joel Embiid, the center for the Philadelphia 76ers, was recognized with the Community Assist Award. This honor came on the heels of Embiid being named an NBA All-Star starter for the fourth year running. In addition to his on-court successes, Embiid made a substantial impact in his community by donating $100,000 to three local organizations: Youth Services Inc., Project HOME, and Sunday Breakfast Mission, all of which work to alleviate homelessness in Philadelphia. His philanthropic efforts didn’t stop there. Embiid also provided 15,000 meals for those in need, supplied 4,000 essential clothing items, funded medical treatments for 1,000 individuals struggling with housing, sponsored a six-week summer camp for 50 homeless youth, and provided shelter to over 300 teens facing housing insecurity.

By aiding five families who were significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Embiid demonstrated his support for local community members. He provided each with gifts, clothing, groceries, and rent relief for the next year.

Embiid has focused a lot of his community efforts in the past year on COVID-19 relief. He partnered with 76ers Managing Partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer at the beginning of the pandemic to donate $1.3 million to Penn Medicine for the development of antibody testing for frontline healthcare workers. As part of his ongoing support for healthcare workers, he committed $500,000 via the #FirstRespondersFirst campaign. This initiative, led by the 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, a guard for the Milwaukee Bucks, and Josh Richardson, a guard for the Dallas Mavericks, jointly received the January NBA Cares Community Assist Award, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.

Upon signing with the Bucks in November, Jrue Holiday and his wife, Lauren, collaborated with the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation. Their goal was to identify the small businesses, particularly those owned by women and Black individuals, that were most in need of aid. After assessing various grant applications, the Holiday family, in January, revealed funding for 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 a range of services in southeastern Wisconsin, from assisted living and home health to childcare, mental health and substance abuse services, hospitality, and more.

Holiday has also committed to aiding the communities that matter to him in the long term. This includes dedicating his entire 2020 NBA salary to establish The Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Justice Fund. The fund aims to counter systemic racism and enhance economic equality by supplying funds and assistance to Black-led organizations and businesses. In the early part of this season, the fund declared its backing 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, a guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, was honored with the April NBA Cares Community Assist Award by Kaiser Permanente. This award commends his ongoing commitment to inspiring and empowering the youth of Portland.

Since moving to Portland in 2012, Lillard has dedicated his efforts towards investing in and guiding local high school students through his RESPECT program. This initiative supports, encourages, and applauds three local high schools – McDaniel, Parkrose, and Roosevelt. In light of the global pandemic and the shift to online learning, the RESPECT program adapted to maintain student engagement. Lillard ensured consistent communication with program participants by conducting video visits, and he used his social media platforms to spotlight students and teachers who displayed the program’s principles. As schools resumed physical classes, Lillard supplied RESPECT-branded face masks for all students and staff involved in the program.

Lillard introduced a special RESPECT version of his Dame7 shoe, exclusively for students in the program. The 500 pairs created showcased the colors of McDaniel, Parkrose, and Roosevelt schools and highlighted the three RESPECT principles: Show Up, Work Hard, and Be Kind. The shoes were donated by Lillard to RESPECT’s associated schools, rewarding students who embody these principles. He wore these sneakers multiple times during the season. Additionally, Lillard maintained his ambassadorship 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 towards the creation of inclusive playgrounds for all abilities across Oregon. This year, Astoria was chosen to receive funds to help construct a playground for all abilities, 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.

Indigenous Basketball Australia, founded by Mills to create opportunities for Aboriginal Australians in basketball, launched the first-ever Indigenous Community Basketball League (ICBL) for players aged 14 and under in eight Australian locations in February. These tournaments not only foster basketball skills but also emphasize life skills education, including mental and physical health, and reinforce individual identity at a crucial age, all while honoring and promoting Indigenous cultural practices. Furthermore, Mills collaborated with the NBA and Jr. NBA to unveil the National Indigenous Basketball Tournament (NIBT) on the Gold Coast in Queensland, scheduled for April 11-13. This event will offer further on- and off-court development chances for 48 boys and girls.

Mills has committed a significant part of his professional career in the U.S. to philanthropic efforts in Australia, specifically aimed at uplifting Indigenous youth and communities of color. In 2020, he donated what was left of his 2019-20 season salary to organizations promoting social justice and helped start the ‘We Got You’ campaign. This initiative, launched with other well-known Australian athletes, aims to combat racism, exclusion, and discrimination in sports. Following the catastrophic Australian bushfires earlier that year, Mills coordinated a $750,000 donation from nine other Australian NBA players.

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Donovan Mitchell

Benefiting Charity: Children’s Village

Between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 NBA seasons, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell was awarded the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award by Kaiser Permanente. This was in recognition of his ongoing work in promoting social justice and advocating for education.

In December, the Mitchell family made a $12 million donation to Greenwich Country Day School, a school where Nicole Mitchell, mother of Donovan and Jordan, taught for over a decade and the siblings’ alma mater. This is the largest single donation the school has ever received. The funds will be used to establish the Mitchell Family Scholarship Fund for students from pre-K to 12th grade, the Nicole Mitchell Faculty Support Fund to help teachers who share Nicole’s passion for teaching, and the D.O.N.! The Determination Over Negativity Mitchell Family Athletic Center. Additionally, Mitchell donated the earnings from his Adidas D.O.N. Issue #2 sneakers over the summer. This donation, amounting to over $300,000, supported the education of Jacob Blake’s children, students of color at the University of Louisville, and teachers at preschools in Connecticut and the Bronx. The funds provided scholarships and academic aid.

Mitchell maintained his strong dedication to addressing racial injustice during the 2019-20 NBA season restart and carried on the dialogue into the offseason. He joined then vice-presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, CJ McCollum from Portland, and Tobias Harris from 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 game’s influence to raise awareness, educate, and advocate for significant reform. Mitchell also frequently contributes to the most needy via 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 hometown of Northeast Ohio, took action to help local businesses severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He pledged to use each regular season game as a platform to uplift pre-chosen local businesses by auctioning off his game-worn jerseys and donating all the proceeds. With both Nance Jr. and the Cavaliers matching the earnings, the donation for every small business is tripled.

Larry’s social media challenge resulted in him receiving hundreds of packages from local businesses keen to be featured during his pregame walk-up. Furthermore, the Cavs FieldHouse Creative Team conducts post-game interviews with these small business owners. These interviews are featured on Cavs digital platforms to offer fans a deeper insight into the businesses and to further highlight their stories within the Northeast Ohio community.

Larry managed to raise over $222k and provide significant exposure for 72 worthy small businesses as the Cavs season drew to a close. Furthermore, an additional donation of $100K was made by Cavs’ corporate partner Westfield in a match-funding initiative through Larry’s jersey auction. This donation was given to the Urban League of Greater Cleveland and the Akron Urban League, both of which support minority-owned businesses. In a separate venture, Larry established the Athletes vs Chron’s and Colitis foundation in 2017. This foundation’s mission is to raise awareness of both diseases among adolescents and help children reach their athletic potential despite their diagnoses.

During the pandemic, Larry utilized 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 2020-21 season began, Richardson joined the Mavericks and quickly endeavored to make a significant contribution in the broader Dallas area. He unexpectedly presented numerous 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 to safeguard the community. Richardson also surprised a first-grade class at a Dallas Independent School District by being a guest reader, motivating the students to value reading and education amid the unique challenges of that school year.

Being the son of an Air Force servicewoman, Richardson has continued his association with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, offering solace, assistance, and resources to families and friends mourning the loss of a servicemember. Over the years, he has nurtured a strong bond with his mentee Elijah through the program. Furthermore, during the festive season, he extended his support by providing 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 is cementing his legacy in the communities where he lives and plays. As he integrates into a new team market, Westbrook collaborated with the LA Promise Fund to initiate the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Academy in his native Los Angeles. The academy, catering to middle and high school students, will increase accessibility to educational services and outdoor activities for children and the larger south Los Angeles community. In 2012, Westbrook established The Why Not? Foundation with the primary aim of offering services to vulnerable populations, including education, mental health resources and employment tools. He also inspires young people to be innovative, pursue their dreams, and remain resilient despite challenges. In November, Westbrook and his foundation teamed up with the L.A. Regional Food Bank to hand out 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, serving many students from homeless or unstable housing backgrounds. In February, he teamed up with Varo Bank as an advisor, aiming to address income disparities through programs that enhance financial literacy in minority communities. Furthermore, Westbrook has not only been active in community outreach but also in educating communities about the various injustices faced by Black people in America throughout history.

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

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