NEW YORK – New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis has received the March NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente in recognition of his efforts to encourage health and fitness among youth in the New Orleans community, the NBA announced today.  The award recognizes an NBA player each month who best reflects the passion that the league and its players share for giving back to their communities.

Kaiser Permanente and the NBA are honoring Davis for his work giving back to local youth through his AD Flight Academy.  Last month, Davis hosted a basketball clinic at the Kingsley House for 100 children and surprised each child with tickets to the Pelicans’ game the following night.  In addition to inspiring youth and their passion for basketball as a member of the Jr. NBA Leadership Council, Davis has gone above and beyond in the team’s player ticket program, contributing $50,000 to send nearly 6,500 local children to Pelicans games this season.

In his continued support of New Orleans coastal restoration efforts, Davis donated a one-on-one “Bowling with the Brow” experience to the annual Toast for the Coast Gala’s live auction held in partnership with the Pelicans and The Audubon Nature Institute.  During the last two seasons, the “Bowling with the Brow” package has raised $30,000 for educational programming on coastal restoration.  Davis also attended the soft opening of the new Pelicans’ Nest interactive exhibit at the Audubon Zoo, greeting kids in attendance and joining them as they learned about the area’s wetlands.

“Giving back means a lot to me and my family, so winning a Community Assist Award for the third year in a row is a great honor and a blessing,” said Davis.  “Flight Academy events are so much fun for me and all the kids; giving back to the community is extremely important and I look forward to having a bigger impact in New Orleans in the coming years.”

Before New Orleans’ home game tonight against the Chicago Bulls, NBA Cares Ambassador Bob Lanier will present Davis with the award during an oncourt ceremony.  The award honors the standard set by NBA Legend David Robinson, who improved the community piece by piece.  In addition, Kaiser Permanente and the NBA will donate $10,000 on Davis’ behalf to the Anthony Davis Foundation.

To learn more, please visit http://www.nba.com/communityassist/.

About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care.  We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans.  Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve.  We currently serve more than 10 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia.  Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers.  Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management.  Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/share.