NEW YORK – Fan voting for the 2017-18 Seasonlong NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente will begin on social media today at 12 p.m. ET and conclude on Sunday, May 6 at 11:59 p.m. ET, the NBA announced today.  Chosen by fans and an NBA executive panel, the seasonlong winner will be announced at the 2018 NBA Awards presented by Kia on Monday, June 25 (9 p.m. ET, TNT) from historic Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif.

Fans can vote for their favorite seasonlong award nominee via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #NBACommunityAssist and #PlayerFirstNameLastName (e.g., #DavidRobinson).  The seasonlong award honors a player’s strong commitment to and positive impact on their community over the course of the season.  The NBA and Kaiser Permanente will donate $25,000 to the winner’s charity of choice.

The 10 nominees include the offseason winner, six monthly winners and three additional players selected by the NBA for their exceptional community work.  The NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente recognizes an NBA player each month who best reflects the passion that the league and its players share for giving back to their communities. 

 The NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente honors the standard set by NBA Legend David Robinson, who improved the community piece by piece.  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, Kaiser Permanente has a mission 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 12 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 Permanente Medical Group 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.

About NBA Cares
NBA Cares is the league’s global social responsibility program that builds on the NBA’s mission of addressing important social issues.  NBA Cares programs and participants have provided more than 4.3 million hours of hands-on service and created more than 1,125 places where kids and families can live, learn or play in communities around the world.  The NBA also engages more than 18 million youth annually, inspiring play and teaching the values of the game.  NBA Cares works with internationally recognized youth-serving programs that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes, including: Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Special Olympics, YMCA of the USA, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, UNICEF, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Share Our Strength and GLSEN.