The NBA announced that Phoenix Suns center Bismack Biyombo is the winner of the March NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente for his dedication to bettering the conditions and overall livelihoods of individuals and communities in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo. The monthly honor recognizes a player who best demonstrates the passion that the league and NBA players share for giving back to their communities.
After experiencing the loss of his father in August 2021, Biyombo dedicated the 2021-22 season to him, choosing to wear no. 18 in honor of his father’s birthday. The loss made Biyombo recognize what playing basketball in the NBA truly means to him – an opportunity to give back and use his platform to impact the lives of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As part of his intention to honor his father, Biyombo announced in March that he would contribute his entire salary from the 2021-22 season to establish and construct a new hospital in his native country that will improve access to better health care for generations.
“I wanted to make this year about my dad because he spent most of his life making his life about me, my brothers, my sisters and servicing people, and I've seen how people try to survive daily in the Congo,” said Biyombo about his endeavor. “I thought we were doing enough by refurbishing hospitals and clinics, but I think it's time we go a little bigger by building something that will service people, hopefully for generations."
Biyombo will be presented with the award on April 19 ahead of Game 2 of the Suns’ first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans at 10 p.m. ET. The NBA and Kaiser Permanente will donate $10,000 to the Bismack Biyombo Foundation as his nonprofit beneficiary of choice. The Suns organization will match this contribution.
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 https://communityassist.nba.com/.
On May 3, the NBA will tip-off voting for the 2021-22 Seasonlong NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente, an annual honor for a player who has demonstrated a continued commitment to their community over the course of the season. The seasonlong winner will be selected from a group of 10 candidates – the off-season award winner, six monthly winners and three additional identified players – and determined by an NBA executive panel and fan vote. This season, fans will be able to vote using Twitter and Jebbit, a mobile platform specializing in data collection, for a period of 12 days from Tuesday, May 3 through Saturday, May 14. Additional details regarding the nominees and voting process will be announced in the coming days. To learn more about the NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente, please visit http://www.nba.com/communityassist/.
About NBA Cares
NBA Cares is the league’s global social responsibility program that brings people together through the game of basketball and helps shine a light on important social issues, including racial, gender, LGBTQ & health equity, education, physical and mental health & wellness, environmental responsibility, and youth, family & community development. NBA Cares programs and participants have provided more than 5.9 million hours of hands-on service and created more than 2,000 places where kids and families can live, learn or play in communities around the world. Internationally, NBA Cares has created more than 353 places where kids and families can live, learn or play in 40 countries and territories.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 12.5 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/share.
# # #