Back-to-back NBA Champion Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors received the 2017-18 Seasonlong NBA Cares Community Assist Award, presented by Kaiser Permanente, at the 2018 NBA Awards presented by Kia in Santa Monica this evening. With this honor, Durant’s charity of choice, the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, will receive $25,000 from Kaiser Permanente and the NBA. The award, which recognizes Durant’s outstanding efforts in the community and his ongoing philanthropic and charitable work, was determined by fan vote on social media and a distinguished panel of NBA judges. Durant joins Stephen Curry, who won the Seasonlong NBA Cares Community Assist Award in 2013-14, as the only Warriors to receive the honor.
During the 2017-18 season, Durant pledged more than $13 million to numerous organizations with a dedicated emphasis on education. The Warriors forward’s contributions are detailed below:
- $10 million commitment over 10 years to College Track to bring its college pipeline program to his native Prince George’s County in Maryland
- $3 million donation to the University of Texas’ basketball programs and its Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation (CSLi). In addition to renovations to his alma mater’s various athletic facilities, the donation will be used by CSLi to further its mission to encourage character development, leadership skills and promote the long-term well-being of student athletes and coaches
- Contributing to Colin Kaepernick’s “10 for 10” campaign, matching his $10,000 donation and directing the funds toward Silicon Valley De-Bug, a Bay Area organization that aims to impact the political, cultural and social landscape of the area through community-based justice work
- Pledged to support four Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula’s Youth of the Year nominees with scholarships to help pay for their college tuition
- $100,000 donation to the American Red Cross to aid with recovery efforts following Hurricane Harvey
- Joined his Warriors teammates to donate game-worn and signed items from Opening Night to assist with northern California wildfire relief
- Continued his support of Oakland Elizabeth House and Larkin Street Youth Services, visiting both organizations over the holidays and donating $12,500 to each to support their wellness, education and career services for women and youth facing homelessness, violence, addiction and poverty
- Working with Make-A-Wish, granted the wishes of three boys facing life-threatening illnesses, bringing each to Oakland for the Warriors game against the New York Knicks in January and providing a special one-on-one experience with him and his teammates
- Invited 10 breast cancer survivors to a Warriors game and gifted them with his KD10 “Aunt Pearl” shoes, which honor his beloved late aunt who passed away from lung cancer in 2000
- Along with his Warriors teammates, hosted 60 youth from his hometown of Seat Pleasant, Maryland, in February for a field trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Throughout the 2017-18 season, invited more than 860 children and their families to Warriors home games through his purchase and donation of season tickets
- As part of the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation’s BUILD IT AND THEY WILL BALL Courts Renovation Initiative, helped refurbish four courts: - Two (2) at the Ramjas School in Delhi, India
- One (1) at New York East Side Community High School
- One (1) at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula in Redwood City
Through its philanthropic work, the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation continues to empower organizations that help marginalized communities and the most vulnerable.
The 2017-18 seasonlong nominees were J.J. Barea, Mike Conley, DeMarcus Cousins, LeBron James, C.J. McCollum, Jabari Parker, Ricky Rubio, Dwyane Wade and Kemba Walker, who have all made standout contributions to their communities.
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.