Golden State Warriors superstar guard Steph Curry was named the 2022-23 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion on Tuesday, winning the award over four other finalists (Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr., San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones, Boston Celtics wing Grant Williams, and Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul). The NBA will make a $100,000 donation to the University of San Francisco’s Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice on Curry’s behalf. The four other finalists will have $25,000 donations made to programs of their choice in their name by the NBA.
The award is named for the NBA’s former all-time leading scorer and his off-court activism. According to a league press release, Curry won “for his dedication to pursuing social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar’s life mission to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically marginalized or systemically disadvantaged.”
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Curry has been notably philanthropic throughout his career. In the NBA’s press release for the award, they highlight his work with several organizations to promote voter turnout and civic engagement, his work to give underrepresented groups opportunities in sports, and Eat. Learn. Play. the nonprofit Steph co-founded with his wife Ayesha Curry, which aims to address food insecurity for children in Oakland. The organization has given out millions of meals and hundreds of thousands of books to students in Oakland. Moreover, they have also funded more than 1,500 teacher-led projects and paid for the remodeling of several school buildings throughout the city.
