Anthony Davis of the Lakers receives the March NBA Cares Community Assist Award from Kaiser Permanente.
The New Orleans The NBA today announced that Kaiser Permanente had given Anthony Davis, the forward for the New Orleans Pelicans, the March NBA Cares Community Assist Award. This award is given in appreciation of Davis’s efforts to encourage youngsters in the New Orleans neighborhood to be healthy and fit. The NBA player who best exemplifies the league’s and its players’ common commitment to community service receives this honor each month.
Davis’s efforts to the community’s improvement through his AD Flight Academy are being honored by Kaiser Permanente and the NBA. Davis conducted a basketball workshop at the Kingsley House last month when one hundred kids took part. Each child received tickets to the Pelicans game the following evening as a surprise. In addition to his role as a member of the Jr. NBA Leadership Council, where he encourages young people and their love of basketball, Davis has given an incredible $50,000 to the Pelicans’ player ticket program, enabling nearly 6,500 local kids to attend Pelicans games this season.
Contributing a one-on-one “Bowling with the Brow” event to the live auction of the annual Toast for the Coast Gala, which is co-hosted by The Audubon Nature Institute and the Pelicans, Davis demonstrated his continuous support for the restoration of the New Orleans shoreline. Over the course of the previous two seasons, the “Bowling with the Brow” package has raised a total of $30,000 to support educational programming related to coastal restoration. Additionally, Davis was there for the soft opening of the Audubon Zoo’s Pelicans’ Nest interactive exhibit, where he greeted and helped kids learn about the local wetlands.
“Being able to give back is really important to me and my family,” Davis said, “so being honored with the Community Assist Award for three years in a row is a great honor and a blessing.” “The other kids and I have a great time at every Flight Academy event; it’s important that we give back to the community, and I’m looking forward to growing our influence in New Orleans in the years to come.”
NBA Cares Ambassador Bob Lanier will present Anthony Davis with the award during an on-court ceremony that takes place prior to tonight’s home game between the Chicago Bulls and the New Orleans Hornets. The NBA star David Robinson is honored with this award in remembrance of how he set the bar and gradually improved the neighborhood. Additionally, the NBA and Kaiser Permanente will make a $10,000 donation to the Anthony Davis Foundation on behalf of Anthony Davis.