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

The NBA is thrilled to disclose the 10 candidates for the 2020-21 Season NBA Cares Community Assist Award, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. Each of these players has exhibited an extraordinary dedication to their community and made a positive contribution beyond the court.

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Below are the nominees.

DeAndre’ Bembry

Benefiting Charity: AP World

Since his NBA career began, DeAndre’ Bembry has committed himself to philanthropic endeavors. His brother Adrien’s death due to gun violence weeks before the 2016 NBA Draft inspired him to establish the AP World organization. This organization is devoted to fostering safer communities and equipping families with the resources necessary to deal with and conquer grief.

Throughout the year, DeAndre’ has been actively involved with AP World, participating in several charitable activities. These included providing Thanksgiving meals for families, partnering with Operation Warm for Children’s Aid in Toronto to distribute new coats to children in need, and supplying 500 pairs of brand-new shoes to the Boys & Girls Club Youth in Indianapolis in partnership with Shoes that Fit. In addition, during the first week of February, which is National Gun Violence Survivors Week, DeAndre’ Bembry took part in a virtual roundtable discussion with an all-athlete panel. He shared his personal story and advocated for gun safety.

In April, DeAndre’ took part in a virtual school assembly for the Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Program in Toronto. This program aims to eliminate bullying, discrimination, and racism, and foster a culture of fairness, diversity, and inclusion. It also enables students to take action. Bembry’s virtual demonstration was aired to thousands of young people in 100 schools across Ontario, with the objective of teaching students how to surmount difficulties and emerge stronger.

Bembry is taking part in a Wear Orange virtual panel on June 4 in conjunction with the 7th Annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day. He will share his family’s story during this event. His dedication to safety in the face of gun violence is inspiring and unquestionable. It’s compelling to see him transform a devastating incident into a foundation that aids 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 awarded the May NBA Cares Community Assist Award by Kaiser Permanente. This award acknowledges his ongoing dedication to helping young people and families in the wider Phoenix region.

In May, five local nonprofit organizations were pleasantly surprised by Booker at a Suns home game. During the game, Booker announced through a pre-recorded message that these organizations were the chosen class for the 2020-21 Devin Booker Starting Five initiative. The organizations, namely Arizona Autism United, Central Arizona Shelter Services, YMCA of Southern Arizona, GAP Ministries and Elevate Phoenix, each received a $100,000 grant from Booker. This funding is intended to address the critical needs following the pandemic and to support their respective efforts in improving the lives of local youth and families. To celebrate and further support the 2020-21 class, Booker along with Phoenix Suns Charities released a limited-edition Devin Booker Starting Five hoodie featuring the selected nonprofits. These unique hoodies, designed by Booker himself, were on sale for a limited period with all proceeds going to Phoenix Suns Charities.

The Devin Booker Starting Five initiative, which annually donates $500,000 to five different youth-serving nonprofits in Arizona, designates its second class of beneficiaries as these five organizations. Over a span of five years, this amounts to a total donation of $2.5 million. The first class of beneficiaries, which includes Special Olympics Arizona, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center, UMOM New Day Centers, and Ability 360, received their grants of $100,000 each in late 2019. Apart from the Starting Five initiative, Booker has also contributed significantly to the Valley’s youth and families through COVID-19 relief efforts and holiday shopping sprees. 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 bestowed the Community Assist Award. Embiid, who was named an NBA All-Star starter for a fourth consecutive year that month, continued his fight against homelessness in Philadelphia with a generous donation of $100,000, which was split between three local organizations: Youth Services Inc., Project HOME, and Sunday Breakfast Mission. In addition to this, Embiid provided 15,000 meals for 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 youngsters experiencing homelessness, and shelter for over 300 teenagers dealing with housing instability.

Embiid showed 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 and clothing, groceries, and a year’s worth of rent relief.

Embiid has been heavily involved in COVID-19 relief efforts in his community over the past year. When the pandemic first began, he partnered with Josh Harris and David Blitzer, the 76ers Managing Partners, to donate $1.3 million to Penn Medicine. This donation was used to develop antibody testing for frontline healthcare workers. Embiid continued his support for these workers by pledging $500,000 through the #FirstRespondersFirst campaign. This initiative, run by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Thrive Global, and the CAA Foundation, provides personal protective equipment (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.

After signing with the Bucks in November, Jrue and his spouse Lauren teamed up with the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation to identify local small businesses owned by women and Black individuals that required the most aid. Having evaluated the grant applications, the Holidays disclosed in January that they would be providing funding for seven businesses within the local area. These are 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 such as assisted living, home health, childcare, mental health and substance abuse services, hospitality, and more.

Holiday has pledged long-term support to communities that are significant to him. This includes dedicating the rest of his 2020 NBA earnings towards the establishment of The Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Justice Fund. The fund aims to fight systemic racism and promote economic equality by supporting Black-led organizations and businesses financially. Earlier in the season, the fund revealed its support for 25 non-profit organizations and historically Black institutions. In addition, it backed 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 recognizes his ongoing work to inspire and empower the youth of Portland.

Since settling in Portland in 2012, Lillard has dedicated himself to invest in and mentor local high school students via his RESPECT program, which supports and celebrates three local high schools – McDaniel, Parkrose, and Roosevelt. Amidst the global pandemic and the shift to virtual learning this year, the RESPECT program adapted to keep students engaged. Lillard pledged to hold video visits to stay connected with participants remotely and used his social media platforms to spotlight students and teachers who embodied the program’s ethos. As schools resumed in-person classes, he supplied students and staff involved in the program with RESPECT-branded face masks.

Lillard unveiled a special edition of his Dame7 shoe, the RESPECT edition, exclusively for the students in the program. The 500 pairs made were adorned with the colors of McDaniel, Parkrose, and Roosevelt schools and highlighted the three RESPECT principles: Show Up, Work Hard, and Be Kind. The shoes were gifted by Lillard to RESPECT’s partner schools as a reward for students embodying these principles, and he himself sported the sneakers several times during the season. Alongside RESPECT, Lillard maintained his ambassadorship for the Moda Assist Program, a collaboration with Moda Health and the Trail Blazers, which pledges $20 per assist made in the season to the creation of all-inclusive playgrounds across Oregon. This year, Astoria was chosen to receive funds for building an all-abilities playground to enrich 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, a foundation by Mills to pave the way for Aboriginal Australians in basketball, initiated the first-ever Indigenous Community Basketball League (ICBL) in February. The League offers programs for players aged 14 and below at eight different venues across Australia. Alongside basketball development, the tournaments concentrate on life skills education and celebrating Indigenous cultural practices. This includes promoting mental and physical health and reinforcing individual identity during a crucial developmental stage. Mills also teamed up with the NBA and Jr. NBA to launch the National Indigenous Basketball Tournament (NIBT). This tournament will take place at the Gold Coast in Queensland from April 11-13 and will offer further development opportunities for 48 young boys and girls both on and off the court.

Mills has spent a significant portion of his professional playing career in the United States, focusing on giving back to Australia, particularly by empowering Indigenous youth and communities of color. In 2020, he donated his remaining salary for the 2019-20 season to various social justice organizations and was instrumental in initiating the ‘We Got You’ campaign. This campaign, a collaboration with other prominent Australian athletes, is aimed at eradicating racism, exclusion, and discrimination in sports. Additionally, Mills coordinated a $750,000 contribution from nine Australian NBA players following the severe Australian bushfires earlier in the year.

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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 acknowledges his sustained dedication towards promoting social justice and education during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 NBA seasons.

The Mitchell family pledged a record-breaking $12 million to Greenwich Country Day School in December, the previous school of Donovan and Jordan Mitchell and where their mother, Nicole, taught for over ten years. This donation will be used to 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 D.O.N.! The Determination Over Negativity Mitchell Family Athletic Center. Additionally, Mitchell donated the profits from his Adidas D.O.N. Issue #2 sneakers last summer to fund the education of Jacob Blake’s children, students of color at the University of Louisville, and teachers in Connecticut and the Bronx preschools, providing over $300,000 in scholarships and academic support.

Mitchell carried his steadfast dedication to combating racial injustice from the 2019-20 NBA season restart into the offseason. He joined a discussion on educational, economic, and social disparities with then vice-presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, and NBA players CJ McCollum from Portland and Tobias Harris from Philadelphia. Furthermore, Mitchell was appointed to the first board of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition. This organization aims to use the influence of basketball to raise awareness, educate, and push for significant reform. Mitchell also consistently contributes to 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 hero from Northeast Ohio, pledged to support local small businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19. He aimed to achieve this by dedicating each regular season game to spotlighting pre-chosen local businesses and donating all the auction proceeds from his game-worn jerseys. Both Larry and the Cavaliers duplicate the proceeds, resulting in three times the donation for every small business.

Larry’s social media challenge garnered hundreds of packages from local businesses hoping to be featured during his pregame walk-up. Furthermore, the Cavs FieldHouse Creative Team conducts post-game interviews with these small business owners, which are then featured on Cavs digital platforms. This offers fans a detailed insight into the businesses and broadens their exposure throughout the Northeast Ohio community.

Larry managed to raise more than $222k and create significant visibility for 72 deserving small enterprises as the Cavs season ended. Furthermore, Westfield, a corporate partner of Cavs, mirrored the funds Larry collected in his jersey auction with an extra donation of $100K. This contribution was made to the Urban League of Greater Cleveland and the Akron Urban League, both of which aid minority-owned businesses. Additionally, Larry initiated the Athletes vs Chron’s and Colitis foundation in 2017 with the goal of heightening awareness about both diseases among young people and empowering diagnosed children to unleash their athletic abilities.

During the pandemic, Larry utilized his platform 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, Richardson joined the Mavericks and promptly aimed to make a difference in the broader Dallas area. He unexpectedly gifted dozens of UT Southwestern Medical Center’s frontline health care workers with Reebok sneakers, team merchandise, and a surprise video message expressing his gratitude for their continuous efforts in ensuring community safety. Moreover, Richardson paid 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 current academic year.

Richardson, the son of an Air Force servicewoman, has actively participated in the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. This program offers support and resources to those mourning the loss of a servicemember. Over the years, he has built a strong bond with his mentee, Elijah, through this program. He also showed his generosity during the holiday season, providing gifts to over 20 families who have likewise suffered the loss of a family member in service.

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Russell Westbrook

Benefiting Charity: Russell Westbrook Why Not? Foundation

Russell Westbrook continues to make a significant impact on the communities where he lives and plays. As he settled into a new team market, Westbrook collaborated with the LA Promise Fund to establish the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Academy in his hometown of Los Angeles. The academy, which caters to students from middle to high school, aims to enhance access to educational services and outdoor activities for children and the wider community in south Los Angeles. In 2012, Westbrook founded The Why Not? Foundation aimed at supporting at-risk groups through education, mental health resources, and workforce tools, and inspiring young individuals to think creatively, chase their dreams, and never surrender in the face of adversity. In November, Westbrook and his foundation teamed up with the L.A. Regional Food Bank to provide 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, a school that caters to a large number of students from homeless or precarious housing situations. In February, he partnered with Varo Bank in an advisory role to address income disparities through initiatives that enhance financial literacy within minority communities. Apart from his direct community involvement, Westbrook has also been proactive in educating communities about the various injustices that Black people in America have endured throughout history.

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

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