Curry wins J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship award for work in community

Alex Kennedy
May 19 2023

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has won the 2022-23 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, as voted on by the Professional Basketball Writers Association.

Named after the NBA’s second commissioner, the honor is presented annually by the PBWA to a player, coach or athletic trainer who shows outstanding service and dedication to the community.

Curry, a four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP, was one of four finalists for the 2022-23 award, along with Los Angeles Lakers center Wenyen Gabriel, Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George and Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams.

The finalists were chosen by a committee of PBWA members from nominees submitted by NBA teams.  The winner was determined by a vote of the entire PBWA, which is composed of more than 200 writers and editors who cover the NBA regularly for newspapers, magazines and online news outlets.

“Few athletes have as great a reach or as powerful a platform as Steph Curry, and he has used it to the fullest to benefit others,” said PBWA President Howard Beck. “The members of the Professional Basketball Writers Association salute him and the other nominees for their exemplary work.”

A 14-year veteran and member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, Curry is being honored for his work promoting youth literacy, fitness and nutrition, as well as his commitment to fostering gender equity in sports.

The Stephen & Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation has helped thousands of children in Oakland, Calif., building playgrounds across the city, promoting literacy and distributing meals and produce.  The foundation hosted more than 1,000 children from various community organizations at an Oakland Athletics game last summer, in an event that promoted movement, exercise and literacy.  In December, the foundation hosted more than 500 Oakland families as part of the 10th annual Christmas with the Currys. The foundation, which provides weekly meals throughout the city, also recently unveiled a new schoolyard at Global Family Elementary.

While visiting the White House to celebrate the Warriors’ 2022 championship, Curry used his platform to speak on the importance of equality in sports, another cause that he has championed both individually and through his corporate partnerships. The Underrated Tour, a collaboration between Curry and Under Armour, provides a showcase for high school golfers from traditionally overlooked communities.

Curry always makes time for fans and community groups over the course of the season. In March, he met in Oklahoma City with the Wichita West girls basketball team – which had to forfeit its season due to lack of players yet continued to practice every day – to call attention to and honor its persistence in the face of adversity.

Curry, 35, averaged 29.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 56 games this season, making both the All-Star Game and the All-NBA Team for the ninth time.