NEW YORK, NY, July 3, 2020 -- The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Foundation is pleased to announce $400,000 in matching player grants over the last two months. Since the Union’s inception, the members of the NBPA have, individually and collectively, utilized their platforms to advocate for and promote positive social change in communities around the world. Specifically throughout May and June, the NBPA Foundation partnered with 24 current & former players to match their charitable giving and philanthropy.

The NBPA Foundation provided matching grants to the following players:

Alex Caruso: Supporting food distribution efforts in Los Angeles, CA for individuals and families affected by the coronavirus outbreak (Not Impossible Foundation).

Bobby Portis: Supporting food distribution efforts in Brooklyn, NY for individuals and families affected by the coronavirus outbreak (City Harvest).

Brandon Ingram: Supporting food distribution efforts in New Orleans, LA for individuals and families affected by the coronavirus outbreak (Goodr).

Brook Lopez: Providing support to the Next Door Foundation’s children’s library in Milwaukee, WI in connection with  a basic supply kit for low-income families during the coronavirus pandemic (Next Door Foundation).

CJ Watson: Helping to support the Quiet Storm Foundation’s plans to fully switch its summer programs to a virtual platform  to recruit and engage new students in Las Vegas, NV (Quiet Storm Foundation). 

Dwight Powell: Covering childcare costs for frontline health workers at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center during the coronavirus pandemic (UT Southwestern Medical Center).

Elton Brand: Funds will provide scholarships for students in Peekskill High School and the Kimberton Waldorf School in Philadelphia, PA and support 5 internship positions at the Urban Affairs Commission (The Elton Brand Foundation).

George Hill: COVID-19 related support for delivering and providing groceries and freshly-cooked meals to elderly veterans in Indiana and San Antonio, TX (Wish For Our Heroes).

J.J. Redick: Supporting food distribution efforts in New Orleans, LA for individuals and families affected by the coronavirus outbreak (Second Harvest Food Bank).

James Harden: Funds will be used  to purchase groceries and basic supplies for low-income families in the greater Houston area during the coronavirus pandemic (3 The Harden Way, Inc.). 

John Collins III: Supporting food distribution efforts in West Palm Beach, FL for individuals and families affected by the coronavirus outbreak (Goodr).

Jordan Poole: Providing families in Milwaukee, WI with boxes of supplies, such as food, in curbside pickups during the coronavirus pandemic (Jacarrie Kicks for Kids).

Kevin Durant: Kevin Durant’s foundation is partnering with GiveDirectly to provide one-time cash disbursements for low-income families that have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic in Seat Pleasant, MD.

Kevin Love: In support of programming in partnership with UCLA to reduce stigma associated with anxiety and depression during the coronavirus pandemic (Kevin Love Fund). 

Kyle Anderson: Supporting  7th and 8th grade traveling basketball teams in Hudson County, NJ (Boys & Girls Club of Hudson County). 

Kyle Kuzma: Continuing food distribution efforts in partnership with the YMCA in Flint, MI and the Children’s Institute in Los Angeles, CA during the coronavirus pandemic (Kyle Kuzma Foundation).

Mario West: Providing scholarships for high school seniors in Atlanta, GA who have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic to help purchase computers and tablets, supplement housing costs, and cover other college expenses (Mario West Foundation). 

Meyers Leonard: Providing general operating support for Feeding America to scale its food distribution efforts across its network of food banks in response to the coronavirus pandemic (Feeding America).

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: Supporting food distribution efforts in Camden County, NJ for individuals and families affected by the coronavirus outbreak (Food Bank of South Jersey).

Robin Lopez: Providing support to the Next Door Foundation’s children’s library in Milwaukee, WI in connection with a basic supply kit for low-income families during the coronavirus pandemic (Next Door Foundation).

Steve Nash: In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the Steve Nash Foundation’s Let's Talk to Dads program is providing program participants with tablets for virtual programs and delivering books for youth at different stages of childhood development (Steve Nash Foundation).

Steve Novak: Providing general operating support for the Education Foundation of Brown Deer Wisconsin to purchase books and online resources for its child literacy programs, develop a career readiness program, and provide unrestricted scholarships for graduating seniors (Education Foundation of Brown Deer).

Troy Brown: Supporting tournament fees and travel for the girls grassroots basketball team, which is based in Las Vegas (Las Vegas Bulldogs).

Please direct all media inquiries to communications@nbpa.com.

About the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Foundation:
Established in 1997, The National Basketball Players Association Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of its members and providing support and assistance to persons, communities and organizations throughout the world that seek to improve the lives of those in need.  Through grants that match players’ philanthropy and charitable giving, the Foundation highlights and accelerates the real and collaborative work that basketball players do worldwide to build their communities and create meaningful change. 

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