Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has added another golden trophy to his collection after being named the 2022-23 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion.
The NBA announced on Tuesday that the four-time champion was honored, selected by Abdul-Jabbar and a panel of activists and league executives.
Curry has been a member of several initiatives encouraging people to vote, including serving as a co-chair of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s “When We All Vote” and participating in the social media campaign for the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition’s “Freedom to Vote.”
The nine-time All-Star also uses his Underrated brand to empower underprivileged athletes and help create equal opportunity for women. Through the platform, he hosts basketball and golf tournaments and he pledged $6 million to revive the men’s and women’s golf programs at Howard University.
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He founded the non-profit Eat.Learn.Play. with his wife, Ayesha, in 2019 with a focus on serving the community of Oakland. The organization has provided more than 25 million meals and 500,000 books to families in need and hosted 10,000 kids at summer sports camps.
“As an athlete, I consistently leverage my platform to amplify advocacy and address the pervasive issue of systemic racism,” Curry said in a statement. “I firmly believe that we must be vocal both on social media and in real life, taking tangible actions to effect real change in our society and for generations to come.”
After starting his Hall of Fame NBA career, Curry went back to school and graduated from Davidson College in September. He majored in sociology and wrote his final thesis on gender equality in sport.
The NBA will make a donation of $100,000 to Curry’s charity of choice, the University of San Francisco Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice.
The four runner-ups of the award each receive $25,000 to a charity of their choice. Memphis Grizzlies forward-center Jaren Jackson Jr. selected The Girls Opportunity Alliance/The Obama Foundation; San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones wanted to honor the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas; Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams chose VisionC; and Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul wanted to support the Social Change Fund United.
The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award was founded in 2021 to celebrate the Los Angeles Lakers star’s legacy of fighting for social change. Carmelo Anthony, who retired from the league Monday, won the inaugural award and Reggie Bullock won the honor last season.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stephen Curry wins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award
