April 25, 2018 – The NBA today announced that Hornets guard Kemba Walker is one of 10 finalists for the 2017-18 Seasonlong NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente. Chosen by fans and an NBA executive panel, the winner will be announced at the 2018 NBA Awards presented by Kia on Monday, June 25.
Fan voting will begin on social media today at 12 p.m. ET and conclude on Sunday, May 6 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Fans can vote for their favorite nominee via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #NBACommunityAssist and #PlayerFirstNameLastName (e.g., #DavidRobinson). The seasonlong award honors a player’s strong commitment to and positive impact on their community over the course of the season. The NBA and Kaiser Permanente will donate $25,000 to the winner’s charity of choice.
The 10 nominees include the offseason winner, six monthly winners and three additional players selected by the NBA for their exceptional community work. The NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente recognizes an NBA player each month who best reflects the passion that the league and its players share for giving back to their communities.
Along with Walker, the nominees include DeMarcus Cousins (offseason), J.J. Barea (October), Ricky Rubio (November), LeBron James (December), Kevin Durant (January), CJ McCollum (February), Dwyane Wade (March), Mike Conley and Jabari Parker.
The NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente honors the standard set by NBA Legend David Robinson, who improved the community piece by piece. To learn more, please visit nba.com/communityassist/.