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 for the 2020-21 season, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. All of these athletes have demonstrated an admirable dedication to their communities and have made a significant positive difference outside of the basketball court.

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Below are the nominees.

DeAndre’ Bembry

Benefiting Charity: AP World

From the beginning of his NBA career, DeAndre’ Bembry has been committed to philanthropy. He founded the AP World organization in honor of his brother Adrien, who tragically lost his life to gun violence just weeks before the 2016 NBA Draft. AP World is focused on making communities safer and equipping families with the necessary resources to manage and conquer grief.

Throughout the year, DeAndre’ has been actively involved with AP World, which includes initiatives such as providing Thanksgiving meals to families, supplying new coats to children in need in collaboration 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, in association with Shoes that Fit. 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 where he shared his story and advocated for gun safety.

In April, DeAndre’ took part in a virtual assembly for the Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Program in Toronto. The program is aimed at curbing bullying, discrimination and racism, and fostering an environment of fairness, variety and acceptance, while also encouraging students to take action. Bembry’s online speech was streamed to thousands of young people in 100 schools throughout Ontario. The goal was to teach students how to triumph over difficult times and emerge stronger.

Bembry is joining a Wear Orange virtual panel on June 4 to narrate his family’s story as part of the 7th Annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day. His dedication towards safety from gun violence is both undeniably strong and inspiring, as he has transformed a tragic event into a foundation that aids other families in their journey through 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. He was recognized for his ongoing dedication to helping youth and families in the larger Phoenix area.

In May, an unexpected announcement was made by Booker at a Suns home game. Five local nonprofit organizations were introduced as the 2020-21 class of the Devin Booker Starting Five initiative through a pre-recorded message played during the game. Booker granted each organization, which included Arizona Autism United, Central Arizona Shelter Services, YMCA of Southern Arizona, GAP Ministries, and Elevate Phoenix, $100,000 to address their funding needs in the wake of the pandemic and to support their work with local youths and families. To further support the new class, a limited-edition Devin Booker Starting Five hoodie was designed by Booker and produced by Phoenix Suns Charities. The unique hoodies were available for purchase for a limited period, with all proceeds going to Phoenix Suns Charities.

The five entities are part of the second installment of the Devin Booker Starting Five, an initiative that gives $500,000 annually to five separate youth-centric nonprofits in Arizona. This equates to a total donation of $2.5 million over a five-year span. The inaugural recipients – Special Olympics Arizona, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center, UMOM New Day Centers, and Ability 360 – were each granted $100,000 in late 2019. Besides the Starting Five project, Booker has extended considerable aid to youths and families in the Valley through COVID-19 relief efforts and holiday shopping sprees. He also serves as a Special Olympics Global Ambassador, fervently advocating for inclusivity through sports.

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Joel Embiid

Benefiting Charity: Covenant House Pennsylvania

In March, Joel Embiid, the center for the Philadelphia 76ers, was bestowed with the Community Assist Award. Following his fourth successive selection as an NBA All-Star starter that same month, Embiid bolstered his fight against homelessness in Philadelphia with a generous donation of $100,000. This contribution was divided among three local organizations: Youth Services Inc., Project HOME, and Sunday Breakfast Mission. Embiid’s philanthropy extended further, providing 15,000 meals to those in need, 4,000 essential clothing items, medical treatment for 1,000 individuals facing housing insecurity, access to a six-week summer camp for 50 homeless young people, and shelter for over 300 teenagers grappling with housing insecurity.

Embiid lent a helping hand to local community members by aiding five families severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He provided each family with gifts and clothing, groceries, and a year’s relief from housing rent.

Over the past year, Embiid has primarily directed his community efforts towards COVID-19 relief. He teamed up with 76ers Managing Partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer at the start of the pandemic to donate $1.3 million to Penn Medicine, with the aim of developing antibody tests for frontline healthcare workers. Furthering his support for these workers, he pledged $500,000 to the #FirstRespondersFirst campaign. This initiative, which is a joint venture of 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 presented by Kaiser Permanente.

In November, after becoming part of the Bucks team, Jrue and his wife Lauren teamed up with the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation. Their collaboration aimed to identify small businesses owned by women and Black individuals who were in dire need of aid. Upon evaluating grant applications, the Holiday family disclosed 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. Located in southeastern Wisconsin, these businesses offer a range of services such as assisted living, home health, childcare, mental health and substance abuse services, hospitality, and more.

Holiday has also undertaken long-term initiatives to help communities that matter to him. This includes promising 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 through the provision of financial aid and support to Black-led organizations and businesses. Earlier 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, guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, was acknowledged with the April NBA Cares Community Assist Award, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. This award recognized his ongoing dedication to empowering youth throughout Portland.

Since moving to Portland in 2012, Lillard has been actively investing in and mentoring high school students through his RESPECT program. This initiative supports, encourages, and celebrates students from three local high schools – McDaniel, Parkrose, and Roosevelt. Amidst the global pandemic and the shift to virtual learning, Lillard and RESPECT adapted to keep engagement levels high. He maintained remote contact through video visits and used his social media platforms to showcase students and teachers who embodied the program’s principles. When schools switched back to face-to-face learning, he supplied RESPECT-branded face masks to all program participants, including students and staff.

Lillard introduced a special edition of his signature Dame7 shoe, the RESPECT edition, exclusively for students in the program. The 500 pairs made had the colors of McDaniel, Parkrose, and Roosevelt schools and embodied the three RESPECT principles: Show Up, Work Hard, and Be Kind. The shoes were gifted by Lillard to RESPECT’s partner schools to acknowledge students who embody each principle. Lillard was seen wearing the sneakers several times during the season. Besides RESPECT, Lillard remained an ambassador for the Moda Assist Program, in collaboration with Moda Health and the Trail Blazers, donating $20 per assist made during the season to fund the creation of inclusive playgrounds for all abilities throughout Oregon. This year, Astoria was chosen to receive funds to develop an all-abilities playground, 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.

In February, Indigenous Basketball Australia, an organization founded by Mills to foster Aboriginal Australian participation in basketball, initiated the first Indigenous Community Basketball League (ICBL) for players aged 14 and under in eight different Australian locations. These tournaments not only maintain and honor Indigenous cultural traditions, but they also emphasize basketball skills development and life skills education. This includes mental and physical health, as well as individual identity strengthening during a pivotal age. Moreover, Mills collaborated with the NBA and Jr. NBA to unveil the National Indigenous Basketball Tournament (NIBT) at Queensland’s Gold Coast from April 11-13. This event will offer 48 boys and girls additional development opportunities both on and off the court.

Much of Mills’ professional career in the United States has been focused on giving back to Australia, particularly in empowering Indigenous youths and communities of color. In 2020, he contributed the rest of his 2019-20 season’s salary to social justice organizations and initiated the ‘We Got You’ campaign with other prominent Australian athletes, a campaign aimed at eradicating racism, exclusion, and discrimination in sports. Following the catastrophic Australian bushfires earlier in the same 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, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. This accolade recognized his sustained commitment to promoting social justice and advocating for education, spanning the 2019-20 to 2020-21 NBA seasons.

In December, Greenwich Country Day School received a $12 million pledge from the Mitchell family, the largest single donation in the school’s history. This is the alma mater of Donovan and Jordan Mitchell and the place where their mother, Nicole, taught for over ten years. The funds will establish the Mitchell Family Scholarship Fund for students from pre-K to 12th grade, the Nicole Mitchell Faculty Support Fund to support passionate teachers, and the new D.O.N.! The Determination Over Negativity Mitchell Family Athletic Center. In the previous summer, Mitchell donated his earnings from his Adidas D.O.N. Issue #2 sneakers, amounting to over $300,000. This contribution 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 through scholarships and academic aid.

Mitchell maintained his strong stance against racial injustice beyond the 2019-20 NBA season restart. In the offseason, he joined a discussion on educational, economic, and social disparities with then vice-presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, CJ McCollum from Portland, and Tobias Harris from Philadelphia. Additionally, Mitchell was appointed to the inaugural board of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition. The coalition aims to utilize the influence of the game to promote awareness, educate, and advocate for significant reform. Mitchell also continually supports those in need through his SPIDACARES organization.

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Larry Nance Jr.

Benefiting Charity: Athletes vs. Chron’s

Northeast Ohio native, Larry Nance Jr., is not only celebrated for his basketball skills but also for his community involvement. Seeing the crippling effect of COVID-19 on small businesses, Larry pledged to support them by donating proceeds from the auctioning of his game-worn jerseys. Each regular season game spotlights a pre-chosen local business. Larry and the Cavaliers team both match the donation, which triples the amount each small business receives.

Larry received hundreds of packages from local businesses keen to be highlighted in his pregame walk-up, thanks to his social media challenge. Furthermore, the Cavs FieldHouse Creative Team conducts post-game interviews with these small business owners, which are then featured on Cavs’ digital platforms. This provides fans with a detailed insight into the businesses and helps to amplify their stories throughout the Northeast Ohio community.

As the Cavs season concluded, Larry managed to raise more than $222k, offering priceless exposure to 72 deserving small businesses. Moreover, the Cavs’ corporate partner, Westfield, matched the funds generated through Larry’s jersey auction with a further donation of $100K to the Urban League of Greater Cleveland and the Akron Urban League. These organizations are dedicated to supporting minority-owned businesses. On a separate note, in 2017, Larry established the Athletes vs Chron’s and Colitis foundation. This foundation strives to raise awareness of both diseases among teenagers and assist children in realizing their athletic potential in spite of their medical conditions.

Throughout the pandemic, Larry utilized his platform to explore 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 commencement of the 2020-21 season, Richardson joined the Mavericks and quickly endeavored to make a significant contribution in the wider Dallas area. He surprised a number of frontline healthcare workers at UT Southwestern Medical Center by gifting them Reebok sneakers, team merchandise and delivering a surprise video message to express his gratitude for their continuous efforts to safeguard the community. Furthermore, he made 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 that school year.

Richardson, the son of an Air Force servicewoman, has maintained his involvement with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. This program offers support, care, 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. During the holidays, he gifted more than 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 continuously making an impact in the communities where he lives and plays. After moving to a new team market, Westbrook collaborated with the LA Promise Fund to establish the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Academy in his birthplace, Los Angeles. The academy aims to improve access to educational services and outdoor activities for middle school and high school students as well as the broader community in south Los Angeles. Westbrook founded The Why Not? Foundation in 2012 to assist at-risk populations by providing educational, mental health, and workforce resources, and to inspire young people to think creatively, pursue their dreams, and never give up, even when faced with adversity. In November, Westbrook and his foundation joined forces with the L.A. Regional Food Bank for the ninth consecutive year to distribute 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, which serves many students from homeless or unstable housing situations. In February, he partnered with Varo Bank as an advisor, aiming to address income disparities through programs that enhance financial literacy in minority communities. Beyond his immediate community outreach, Westbrook has also made strides in raising awareness about the various injustices experienced by Black individuals in America throughout history.

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

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