On Nov. 16 of 2006, the Please Touch Museam® announced the World as the recipient of their 11th annual "Great Friend To Kids" Community Service award.

The Please Touch Museum’s Great Friend to Kids Award’s honor individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to enriching the lives of children. "Today the former 76ers All-Star is scoring big in the communities of Philadelphia and the surrounding Delaware Valley. As the Ambassador of 76ers Basketball, World B. Free makes over 150 community appearances each year to teach the fundamentals of basketball and provide life lessons," says Nancy KolbPresident and CEO of Please Touch Museum.

"He leads free basketball clinics through the 76ers Summer Hoops Tour and Basketball 101; delivers motivational messages at school assemblies; visits children’s hospitals; hosts anti-violence talks; presents the 76ers Hometown Hero Awards-the list goes on and on. As a motivator, a mentor, a teacher, and a role model, World has enlightened and enriched the lives of youth in the Delaware Valley.'"

“By recognizing individuals and organizations who are dedicated to helping children, we hope to inspire others to do the same,” Kolb states. “Our future leaders are the young children we help today.”

Through his constant effort to enlighten and enrich the minds of the youth in the community, World B. Free has become a household name yet again as the ambassador of 76ers basketball. This comes from his work not on the court but his work off the court.

In particular Free uses the Philadelphia 76ers Summer Hoops Tour to get his message across. Thousands of children each summer gather to be in the presence of Free as he challenges these young people to not only further their basketball skills but their life skills.

Free has touched the lives of many children through the 76ers Summer Hoops Tour and Basketball 101, held throughout the year in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Free also makes countless public appearances delivering motivational messages on issues ranging from education, sportsmanship and saying “no” to drugs.

World B. Free Inspires 56k | 300k Free Honored in Cleveland Play

Selected by the 76ers in the second round (23rd overall) of the 1975 NBA Draft, Free poured-in 17,955 points over his illustrious 13-year career, which ranks 49th all-time in NBA history. The prolific scorer from Brooklyn spent four years with the 76ers (1975-78, 1987), while also making stops in San Diego (1978-80), Golden State (1980-82), Cleveland (1983-86) and Houston (1987). As a member of the 1979-80 San Diego Clippers, Free put together his best season in the NBA. He averaged an astounding 30.2 points over just 68 games, which landed him a spot in the 1980 NBA All-Star Game. He appeared in 886 games over his career, averaging 20.3 points while dishing-out 3.7 assists per contest.



Free, who also spent two seasons as the 76ers strength and conditioning coach, was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall-of-Fame in 1997, joining the likes of former teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Billy Cunningham , Connie Hawkins, Lenny Wilkens and Nate “Tiny” Archibald.

A World of Difference: Part One | Part Two | Part Three

World B Free Career Statistics

Rebounds Averages G Min FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% OFF DEF TOT ST BLK TO PTS RPG APG PPG 886 26,893 6,512 14,294 .456 4,718 6,264 .753 1,008 1,422 2,430 910 223 1,869 17,955 2.7 3.7 20.3

06-07 Photogalleries: