NEW YORK – The NBA today announced San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes as the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award winner for the month of February.  Barnes and his wife, Brittany, made a $250,000 donation to AlamoPROMISE – a program that provides the cost of tuition and fees for eligible students in Bexar County, eliminating financial barriers to higher education and making college a reality.  Additionally, Barnes played a key role in bringing a newly renovated basketball court and playground to Davis White Northeast Neighborhood Park as part of the Play ATX initiative in Austin, Texas.  Barnes will receive the David Robinson trophy, and the NBA will donate $10,000 to the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum.

The donation from the Barnes family will help support students at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio.  St. Philip’s is designated as a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).  In collaboration with AlamoPROMISE through the “last-dollar” program, scholarships will cover tuition and fees for up to three years.  Now in its fifth year, the program has supported over 23,000 students with tuition and college expenses.  The donation was made in honor of Black History Month and at an event last month, Barnes presented the donation alongside San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and officials from St. Philip’s College and the Alamo Colleges District.  This is a cause that’s important to Barnes who has served as a board member for the NBA Foundation, the league’s first-ever charitable organization since 2020.  Barnes’ donation recipient of choice, San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum, also serves as a grantee partner of the NBA Foundation.

As part of the Play ATX initiative, Barnes joined others from the San Antonio Spurs, Austin Parks Foundation and the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, unveiling the transformed space at Davis White Northeast Neighborhood Park.  Barnes’ involvement was above and beyond in making this project a reality.  In addition to the ribbon-cutting, Barnes led a basketball clinic for 40 youth athletes from local schools.  Upgrades included new basketball goals, improved lighting and a fully renovated playground with brand-new equipment and enhanced accessibility, creating a long-lasting impact for the Austin community.

“Throughout my career I’ve had the privilege of experiencing the power of community and support,” said Barnes.  “Now, as part of the San Antonio community, my wife Brittany and I are honored to give back and help invest in the future of this incredible city.  Partnering with AlamoPROMISE and St. Philip’s College is my way of ensuring that young people here have the resources and opportunities to succeed.  It’s about creating lasting change, building bridges, and supporting the next generation of leaders.  My wife and I are both deeply committed to being advocates for this community, and together, we’re excited to make a meaningful impact and help open doors for local college students to chase their dreams.”

This is the second time that Barnes has been named a Community Assist Award winner.  Barnes was previously named a 2019-20 End of Season NBA Cares Community Assist Award recipient.

The NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award honors Bob Lanier, an NBA League Office executive and NBA Cares Ambassador for more than 30 years.  He had an enormous influence on the NBA family and young people globally, traveling the world to teach the values of the game and making a positive impact through his kindness and generosity.  The legacy he built will continue to live on through the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award recognition, which honors the next generation of players’ commitment to positively impacting their community throughout the NBA season.  Over the course of each NBA season, there is an offseason winner followed by seven monthly award winners.  The offseason winner receives the Bob Lanier trophy, and each monthly winner receives the David Robinson trophy.  The NBA also makes a donation to the charity or foundation of the player’s choice.  To learn more, please visit https://communityassist.nba.com/.