Golden State Warriors star player Stephen Curry was named as the recipient of the 2022-23 NBA J. Walker Kennedy citizenship award. The award is administered and selected by the Professional Basketball Writers Association (PBWA). He is the first player from the Warriors to win this award.
The award is presented annually to a player, coach, or, athletic trainer, who shows outstanding service and dedication to the community. The award was suspended during the pandemic years, making Curry the first winner since the 2019-20 season.
The finalists were selected by a committee of PBWA members from nominees submitted by the NBA teams. For his charitable efforts off the court, Curry was one of four nominees for this award, along with Los Angeles Lakers center Wenyen Gabriel, LA Clippers forward Paul George and Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams.
While a legend on the court, Curry has also been expanding his humanitarian efforts and making a positive difference in the world for quite some time now. "Curry is being honoured for his work promoting youth literacy, fitness and nutrition, as well as his commitment to fostering gender equity in sports," commented PWBA in a statement on Thursday. He has also been a constant advocate for racial and social equity in sports.
Curry founded the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation with his wife Ayesha Curry. The foundation is actively involved in supporting children with a focus on nutrition, education, and physical activity. The Foundation has helped thousands of children in Oakland, Calif., building playgrounds across the city, promoting literacy and distributing meals and produce. The foundation hosted more than 1,000 children from various community organizations at an Oakland Athletics game last summer, in an event that promoted movement, exercise and literacy.
Curry also addressed the issue of inequality in sports on his visit to the White House in 2022 with his teammates to commemorate the Warriors' 2022 championship win. He is also known to make time for his fans and community groups during the season. In March, he met in Oklahoma City with the Wichita West girls basketball team — which had to forfeit its season due to a lack of players yet continued to practice every day — to call attention to and honour its persistence in the face of adversity.
“Few athletes have as great a reach or as powerful a platform as Steph Curry, and he has used it to the fullest to benefit others,” said PBWA President Howard Beck in a statement. “The members of the Professional Basketball Writers Association salute him and the other nominees for their exemplary work.”
A list of the winners of the J. Walker Kennedy Citizenship Award since 1974 can be found here.
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