Golden State’s Stephen Curry wins the NBA’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award for his work advocating with Michelle Obama for voting rights, gender and racial equality in sports and food scarcity
- Curry was chosen over four other finalists – all of whom will receive $25,000 in donations to charities of their choosing. Curry receives a $100,000 donation for his causes.
- Established in 2021, this award is given to players who “demonstrate a commitment to the pursuit of social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar’s life mission.”
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The NBA has announced that Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has been named the winner of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion.
Curry, the four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP, was singled out for his work advocating for voting rights, food scarcity in underserved communities, and gender and racial equality in sports.
This award was given to Curry for “his dedication to the pursuit of social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar’s life mission to engage, empower and advance equality for individuals and groups historically marginalized or systematically disadvantaged.”
“As an athlete, I consistently use my platform to strengthen advocacy and address the pervasive problem of systemic racism,” Curry said in a statement.
“I firmly believe that we need to speak up, both on social media and in real life, and take tangible actions to bring about real change in our society and for generations to come.”
The NBA has named Steph Curry the 2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion
Curry was singled out for ‘commitment to the pursuit of social justice’, including his work for voting rights
Curry is co-chair of the When We All Vote initiative, led by former First Lady Michelle Obama. The group’s mission is to “increase participation in any election by helping close the race-age gap.”
In addition, he has provided scholarships to high school athletes and pledged $6 million to fund Howard University’s men’s and women’s golf teams – an HBCU.
Curry and his wife Ayesha run the ‘Eat. To learn. Play. Foundation,” which focuses on nutrition and exercise for children in the city of Oakland, California – where Golden State played before moving to San Francisco.
By winning the award, the NBA will donate $100,000 to a charity of Curry’s choice: the University of San Francisco Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice.
According to their website, the institute researches, illuminates and promotes the theory and practice of transformational nonviolence to confront and overcome injustice and systemic violence and contribute to the just resolution of conflicts between communities.
Curry has donated millions in scholarships and launched Howard University’s golf team
He also runs his own ‘Eat. To learn. Play. Foundation’ back in Oakland with his wife Ayesha
Curry was named a finalist along with Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones, Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul and Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams.
All four of these finalists will receive $25,000 for organizations of their choice focused on social justice.
The committee that selected the winner of the award consisted of Abdul-Jabbar himself, as well as representatives from the competition and from diversity groups.
Curry is the third winner of this award, joining Reggie Bullock from 2022 and the inaugural winner – the recently retired Carmelo Anthony in 2021.