–10 Current NBA Players Nominated for Commitments to Youth Development, Access to Youth Sports, Combatting Food Insecurity and More-
– Winner to Receive a $25,000 Donation to Nonprofit of Choice in Honor of Late NBA Cares Ambassador Bob Lanier-
NEW YORK — Fan voting for the 2022-23 Bob Lanier Community Assist Award will begin today at 12 p.m. ET and conclude on Sunday, May 21 at 11:59 p.m. ET, the NBA today announced. Selected by fans and an NBA executive panel, the winner will be announced during the postseason to culminate the season-long recognition of NBA players’ commitments to their communities. In 2022, the season-long award was renamed in honor of late Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA Global Ambassador, Bob Lanier, following his passing for his dedication to teaching NBA values and making a positive impact on communities across the globe.
The Bob Lanier Community Assist Award honors one player’s sustained efforts and difference-making work within their community over the course of the season. The winner will be recognized with an award presentation and a $25,000 donation will be made by the NBA on his behalf to an organization of his choosing.
Fans can now vote for their preferred Bob Lanier nominee via Jebbit, a digital experience platform that captures zero party data, where they can view and select videos highlighting each player’s impact.
The 10 nominees include the offseason winner, six monthly winners and three additional players selected by the NBA for their exceptional community work in the last year. During the regular season, the NBA Cares Community Assist Award recognizes an NBA player each month who best reflects the passion that the league and its players share for giving back to their communities and honors the standard set by NBA legend David Robinson, who worked to improve the community piece by piece. The 2022-23 Bob Lanier Community Assist nominees are listed below with links to video highlighting their respective efforts:
The 2022-23 Bob Lanier Community Assist nominees are listed below with links to video highlighting their respective efforts.
Keita Bates-Diop (San Antonio Spurs)
February Community Assist Award Winner, Charity of Choice: Living For Zachary
Vote for Keita Bates-Diop here!
Keita Bates-Diop, of the San Antonio Spurs, remains committed to advocating for and raising awareness of the importance of CPR training and automated external defibrillator (AED) accessibility in an effort to help prevent cardiac arrest incidents. In 2017, Bates-Diop’s younger brother suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed during practice with his high school basketball team. A certified athletic trainer present at the scene performed CPR saved his brother’s life, leaving Keita passionate about sharing the importance of CPR and AED training with others. Keita hosted events throughout the season to help teach those life-saving skills to people in San Antonio, and previously won the February NBA Cares Community Assist Award.
January NBA Cares Community Assist Award Winner, Charity of Choice: Dion’s Chicago Dream
Vote for Alex Caruso here!
Alex Caruso of the Chicago Bulls is committed to addressing food insecurity, providing essential items for those in need and creating memorable experiences for youth in his community. Alex helped provide high-quality fresh food for families in Chicago by delivering meals and contributing dollars to fight food insecurity throughout Chicago. Because of his efforts, 20 Chicago households are now completely food secure for the entire year. Alex previously won the January NBA Cares Community Assist Award.
Pat Connaughton (Milwaukee Bucks)
Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award Winner, Charity of Choice: The Pat Connaughton Foundation
Vote for Pat Connaughton here!
Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton remains committed to creating access to youth sports and motivating young athletes to realize their greatest potential throughout Milwaukee and his hometown of Arlington, Massachusetts. Through the Pat Connaughton Foundation, Pat hosted multiple basketball clinics throughout the season teaching premier skill development and mentorship experiences. Additionally, Pat has committed to creating three new “Connaughton Courts,” providing gym refurbishments for inner city students and community members to have a safe space to play basketball. Aside from his love for the game, as a real estate development business owner, Pat is also helping youth navigate careers off the court in real estate. Pat previously won the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award.
James Harden (Philadelphia 76ers) – Wildcard Nominee, Charity of Choice: Impact13 Foundation
Vote for James Harden here!
James Harden is dedicated to uplifting those with socio-economic disadvantages with emphasis on community development, education, entrepreneurship, the arts, fashion and sports. Through his foundation, Impact 13, James committed to leaving behind a new playground in Haiti and a brand new basketball court in partnership with the Houston Housing Authority in effort to provide kids and families with safe places to play. Additionally, James hosts an annual JH-Town Weekend which provides over 4,000 families throughout Houston with new clothing, back to school supplies and food boxes to address food insecurity throughout the city.
March NBA Cares Community Assist Award Winner, Charity of Choice: Milwaukee Public Library Foundation
Vote for Brook Lopez here!
Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks is dedicated to youth education and making literacy programs both fun and accessible for Milwaukee Public School students. Throughout the season, Brook contributed close to $175,000 in donations for books and funding in support of literacy initiatives within Milwaukee where only 15% of 4th and 8th–grade students were proficient or above in reading. Brook comes from a family of educators and his commitment continues to grow immensely in each year he spends with the league, leaving his mark in each city he’s played for. Brook previously won the March NBA Cares Community Assist Award.
Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers)
November NBA Cares Community Assist Award Winner, Charity of Choice: Tyrese Maxey Foundation
Vote for Tyrese Maxey here!
Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia Sixers is an advocate for health and wellness and strengthening communities through his work with the Tyrese Maxey Foundation. The Tyrese Maxey Foundation is dedicated to providing youth with the necessary skills and development to become the next generation of leaders in the community. With this mission in mind, Tyrese hosted multiple food and toy drives to help brighten the holiday season for families throughout Philadelphia as well as participated in basketball clinics and school assemblies speaking to youth about the importance of education. Tyrese previously won the November NBA Cares Community Assist Award.
December NBA Cares Community Assist Award Winner, Charity of Choice: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona
Vote for Cameron Payne here!
Cameron Payne of the Phoenix Suns dedicates his philanthropic efforts to the importance of youth mentorship because of how much his mentors have helped him grow into the person he is today. Working with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona to encourage youth mentorship and recruit more mentors of color, Cameron invited mentors and mentees to the Footprint Center to participate in an evening of pop-a-shot, NBA 2K and other fun games. In addition to his dedication for mentoring young people, Cameron is deeply committed to helping families throughout the holiday season by fulfilling wish lists and providing meals for families facing hardships. Cameron previously won the December NBA Cares Community Assist Award.
Julius Randle (New York Knicks)
Wildcard Nominee, Charity of Choice: Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School
Vote for Julius Randle here!
New York Knicks’ forward Julius Randle is committed to uplifting, encouraging, and providing resources to local youth and single mothers while striving to close the gap in access that many communities are facing across New York City. Throughout the past two seasons, Randle has pledged to provide the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School with $500 for every three-point basket he sinks as part of his #30for3 initiative. To date, $800,000 has been raised as part of this campaign, allowing the school to hire eight literacy enhancement teachers to work with 75 students and increase their literacy levels by three grades.
October NBA Cares Community Assist Award Winner, Charity of Choice: YounGameChanger Foundation
Vote for Marcus Smart here!
Boston guard Marcus Smart is dedicated to supporting pediatric cancer patients undergoing treatment and creating access to opportunity for inner-city student-athletes. Since joining the Celtics, Marcus visits the Boston Children’s Hospital regularly to spend one-on-one time with kids undergoing cancer treatments. As part of this effort, he also works to donate mobile charging stations loaded with tablets and video game consoles called “Smart Carts” designed to serve as entertainment hubs, as well as portals for communication and diversion during patients’ treatment and recovery. Over the past year and a half, Smart and his YounGameChanger Foundation, have made “Smart Carts” available in seven different children’s hospitals throughout New England, one in his hometown of Dallas, TX, and two in support of virtual programming at Children’s Wisconsin Hospital. Marcus previously won the October NBA Cares Community Assist Award.
Dwight Powell (Dallas Mavericks)
Wildcard Nominee, Charity of Choice: Charity Champions of Discovery (Dwight Powell Children & Family Fund)
Vote for Dwight Powell here!
Dwight Powell of the Dallas Mavericks is committed to creating once-in-a-lifetime experiences for youth and families facing challenges. Every season, Dwight commits over 500 tickets to nonprofit organizations across North Texas that otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to experience a Mavericks game. He also provides his time through meet and greet experiences for those that come out to support him. Additionally, Powell remains committed to his efforts of giving back through the Dwight Powell Children and Family Support Fund at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas which provides guidance, education, and resources to help patients and their children cope with cancer in memory of his mother, Jacqueline Weir, who passed away from breast cancer in 2012. This program is the first of its kind in Texas and has helped to eliminate the financial struggles for many families dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
