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Vivek Jacob: Kawhi Leonard will make an appearance at Masai Ujiri's Giants of Africa Festival. Leonard will mentor campers, open a new 🏀 court in partnership with Giants of Africa at St. Ignatius School, and host a clinic for 50 local youth in one of Kigali’s most underserved districts.
Jamaican-Bahamian NBA star Deandre Ayton, together with his Ayton Family Foundation, has expanded his philanthropic efforts to Jamaica by opening a revitalized community center in St. Elizabeth. The Cedar Spring Community Center will provide vital resources such as food, games, school supplies, health services, and more to the local community.
Ayton recently visited the island with his family, including his mother, who is of Jamaican descent, and former NBA star Dwight Howard, to mark the opening. “Back to where it all began. Together, we opened the doors to a renewed Cedar Spring Community Center in St. Elizabeth,” Ayton shared on Instagram. “Jamaica — the first AFF project on the island! With food, games, school supplies, health services, and a lot of love, we celebrated the strength and joy of this beautiful community.”
Danielle Lerner: The Rockets, Mavs and Spurs are wearing special shooting shirts at summer league this weekend to honor victims of flooding in Texas Hill Country/ raise awareness. All 3 teams combined to donate $2M to relief efforts. Rockets are wearing shirts tonight vs LAC and Sunday vs DET.
The Texas Hill Country was the scene of devastating flash flooding that saw loss of lives and damage to many cities that will need years to recover from this natural disaster. To help the area recover from this tragedy, the San Antonio Spurs have joined forces with fellow Texas NBA teams, the Rockets and the Mavericks, along with the National Basketball Players Association and the NBA, to provide financial support for relief efforts in the Hill Country with a $2 million donation.
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A fundraiser for the Tamir Rice Foundation received a $50,000 donation from basketball star Kyrie Irving Wednesday on what would have been the 23rd birthday for Tamir Rice–an unarmed boy who was shot and killed by Ohio police in 2014 while playing with a toy gun. His mother, Samaria Rice, created the Tamir Rice Foundation to “invest in the growth and enrichment of all children.” This month, she launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe asking supporters to donate $23 for Rice’s 23rd birthday on June 25. The goal is to raise $110,000.
In the midst of these NBA Finals, The Mathurin Family Foundation was announced on June 9 in Montreal. The mission of TMFF is “to empower youth from underserved communities through access to sports, education, and development opportunities.” Mathurin’s sister, Jennifer, is TMFF founder and chair of the board.
Carter’s foundation exists “to provide youth and families with educational programs, resources and tools that impact and elevate their quality of life,” according to its website. “One of the reasons I started my foundation was to teach kids how to be professional outside of the sports realm with us dialing into the STEM programs to aviation, giving kids different avenues to becoming different types of professionals,” he said. “But at the end of the day, basketball is my first love. “The fact that I’m able to bring kids out to be able to just have fun, get up and down the court a little bit, get some fitness in, it always feels good knowing that they’re out there having fun,” he added.
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The NBA and Oklahoma City Thunder have unveiled a new "Wonder Room" at the Boys and Girls Club of Oklahoma County, offering children access to updated equipment and opportunities. The room, featuring computers, iPads, and a STEM zone, was unveiled by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and OKC Thunder Chairman Clay Bennett, along with others from the Thunder and NBA. The event allowed children to explore the new space, meet Thunder players, and even play basketball with some of their idols.
NBA star Chris Paul is continuing his tremendous HBCU philanthropy and he's getting assistance from fellow legends Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony. The trio, through their Social Change United Fund, is providing $40,000 in scholarships for HBCU students. The scholarships will be awarded to eight undergraduate or graduate business students attending Historically Black Colleges or Universities, with each recipient receiving $5,000.
The Housing Trust Group developed this $37.4 million housing community for seniors in partnership with AM Affordable Housing, a nonprofit founded by NBA Hall of Famer and Miami Heat legend Alonzo Mourning. "Being able to have a safe environment where they can age with dignity is extremely important," Mourning said.
The 25-year-old Immanuel Quickley has won the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award for April, an award which “honours the next generation of players’ commitment to positively impacting their community throughout the NBA season,” the league announced Wednesday. He has established four, four-year scholarships at his alma mater, John Carroll School in Bel Air, Md., and supported health and wellness through his participation with Courtside Care and his IQ5 Elite Youth Basketball Program.
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