Felipe Lopez of Santiago, Dominican Republic, was the recipient of the Sweetwater Clifton "City Spirit" Award for the month of October for his continuous work helping to bring basketball efforts to the five boroughs. Lopez' greatest accomplishments are off the basketball court. After one of the most highly-celebrated high school basketball careers in New York City history at Rice in the Bronx, four years at his hometown St. John's University and a four-year NBA career, Lopez devoted his life to philanthropy. He has always felt a great responsibility to care for his communities - both with his Hispanic lineages and the New York boroughs. The self-founded Felipe Lopez Foundation is committed to establishing an environment for positive learning and healthy living, that includes providing youth with educational scholarships. He conducts clinics in local Hispanic communities and his weekends are spent at the Bronx Spanish Evangelical Church, teaching the neighborhood boys lessons to be used both on and off the court. Lopez' immense generosity earned him the title “NBA Ambassador” with the NBA Cares program.
Felipe Lopez accepted the Sweetwater Clifton City Spirit Award, presented by Knicks Great Larry Johnson, on center court at Madison Square Garden vs. the Toronto Raptors on December 13th. Lopez' award will be donated to Skyhoops Basketball and the Felipe Lopez USA Foundation.