NEW YORK – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) today announced that Washington Wizards guard Trae Young has been named the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award offseason winner, recognizing his efforts to expand educational opportunity, address food insecurity and create youth sports and community programming in Washington, D.C., and Oklahoma.  The recognition marks Young’s third NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award in his career.  In honor of his efforts, the NBA and the NBPA Foundation will donate a collective $20,000 to DC Central Kitchen and DC College Access Program (DC CAP).

Following his arrival in Washington, Young and the Trae Young Family Foundation made a $100,000 commitment to two local organizations, donating $50,000 each to DC CAP and DC Central Kitchen.  DC CAP helps students attending Washington D.C. public and public charter high schools enroll in and complete college, while DC Central Kitchen provides culinary job training, school meals and hunger relief programs across D.C.

“Being recognized for this award means so much to me, because the work I do off the court matters just as much as the work I do on the court,” said Young.  “I am so thankful to feel the love and support from my two homes: Washington, D.C. and Oklahoma.  My goal is to keep showing up for both communities, to create opportunities for them, and to remind them that somebody is in their corner.”

Young also continued his long-term investment in youth recreation in Oklahoma. In July, two years after opening the Young Family Athletic Center in Norman, Young and his foundation announced plans for a second location in Yukon.  The new youth sports and recreation facility will follow the model of the approximately 122,000-square-foot Norman complex, with convertible basketball and volleyball courts, competition pools and year-round programming.  The Trae Young Family Foundation has donated more than $4 million toward the development and advancement of recreational and athletic facilities in Oklahoma.

Young further connected with families in the Washington D.C. area through three days of community events surrounding his birthday.  He visited students at Thurgood Marshall High School, Friendship Technology Prep and Monument Academy, speaking about the importance of mental health, perseverance and working through difficult situations.   He also made a surprise visit to pediatric patients at MedStar Georgetown Hospital, where he spent time with families and provided patients with signed jerseys.

The three-day celebration also featured a free Pro-Am Day at Oxon Hill High School and the From the Point Youth Skills Clinic at Prince George’s County Community College.  More than 175 children participated in the four-hour clinic, where Young joined drills and worked directly with groups alongside coaches from the Jr. Wizards youth basketball program.

The NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award honors NBA legend and Hall of Famer 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, which recognizes the next generation of players’ commitment to positively impacting their communities throughout the NBA season.  Each NBA season has 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 and the NBPA Foundation also make a donation to the charity or foundation of the player’s choice.  To learn more, please visit communityassist.nba.com.

About NBA Social Impact & Inclusion and NBA Cares
NBA Social Impact & Inclusion drives change on issues facing fans and communities by advancing needed resources and proven partners while creating data-driven strategies and programming to impact the NBA ecosystem and empower colleagues to bring their best self to work to drive global success.  NBA Cares works with NBA players and teams to highlight important issues through the NBA’s digital, social and broadcast channels, live events and partnerships.

About the NBPA
The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is the union for current professional basketball players in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Established in 1954, the NBPA’s mission is to protect and advance the rights of our players. They are the game.

The NBPA Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of its members by supporting and assisting people, communities and organizations worldwide. It spotlights and amplifies the global initiatives of professional basketball players, driving positive change through community building, charitable endeavors and social entrepreneurship. For more information, visit www.nbpa.com and follow @thenbpa on social.