Stephen Curry Named Winner of NBA's 2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has been named the 2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion, the NBA announced today. Curry was selected from a group of five finalists for his dedication to pursuing social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar’s life mission to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically marginalized or systemically disadvantaged.

Curry’s off-court pursuits reflect his deep commitment to uplifting individuals from underrepresented communities, with an emphasis on empowering the next generation and opening doors for today’s youth to thrive. Through his various endeavors, Curry is a passionate champion for social justice, ensuring the key pillars of equity, access and opportunity are central to all aspects of his purpose-driven work.

Last year, Curry completed his degree and graduated from Davidson College where he wrote a thesis on gender equity in sports, an issue that anchors his progressive and innovative ventures. In addition, Curry committed $6 million to funding the men’s and women’s golf teams at Howard University and served as co-chair of Michelle Obama’s “When We All Vote” campaign.

Through UNDERRATED, Curry’s lifestyle brand with a mission to empower underrated and underrepresented individuals, he is committed to opening doors to often-overlooked student-athletes by creating initiatives that encourage equity, access and opportunity for basketball and golf athletes around the world. Specifically, UNDERRATED Golf is dedicated to promoting opportunities for young athletes who may not otherwise have the chance to gain access to the sport and adjacent skills, by working with corporate partners and sponsors to provide training, equipment, networking events and more. Ensuring a just, fair and inspiring sport for all, UNDERRATED Golf invited young, overlooked golfers to play on some of the most elite and pristine courses in the country. Furthermore, UNDERATED Golf is addressing the gender equity within the sport by enabling the female players with the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

Unanimous Media, Curry’s multimedia company rooted in the mission to inspire audiences through authentic storytelling, is dedicated to collaborating with underrepresented filmmakers, creators and writers across the entertainment industry.

Eat. Learn. Play., Curry’s nonprofit co-founded with his wife Ayesha, works to ensure every child in Oakland has access to nutritious food they need to be healthy and thrive, resources to foster a love for learning and reading, and safe places with equitable opportunities to play. With a mission to address and overcome the systemic socio-economic barriers facing underserved communities, Eat. Learn. Play. and its partners continue making a positive impact in the lives of children and families in need. Over the last year, Eat. Learn. Play. has provided over two million meals and 500,000 books to Oakland students, funded over 1,500 teacher-led classroom literacy projects, remodeled four new playspaces complete with multi-sport courts, playgrounds, gardens and murals, and more.

Last week, it was announced that Curry had won the 2022-23 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, presented annually by the Professional Basketball Writers Association (PBWA) to a player, coach or athletic trainer who shows outstanding service and dedication to the community.

The other 2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award nominees were Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Tre Jones (San Antonio Spurs), Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns) and Grant Williams (Boston Celtics), who have all made standout commitments to social justice this year. Dallas Mavericks guard-forward Reggie Bullock was named as the Social Justice Champion last season.