Trae Young has been awarded the NBA Cares Community Assist Award, which each month recognizes an NBA player for their efforts to give back to their communities, in recognition of his charity work in both Georgia and his home state of Oklahoma.

In January, Young joined forces with RIP Medical Debt, donating $10,000 and alleviating more than $1 million of medical debt for 570 people in Georgia.

Young also was recognized for his Trae Young Basketball Academy in Oklahoma, which helps kids learn skills and values through the sport, and the Trae Young Foundation in Atlanta, which focuses on mental health and the prevention of cyber and social-media bullying online.

“It’s very important to me that I use my platform to make a difference and give back in any way I can,” Young said in a news release. “Working with kids across the city is not only a rewarding and inspiring experience, but something that I genuinely love to do. The city of Atlanta and everyone in it has welcomed and supported me with open arms from the very beginning, and I’m honored to give back to the community every chance I get.”

Young will receive the award in an on-court ceremony before the Hawks play the Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at State Farm Arena, which will be presented by NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo. Also, Kaiser Permanente and the NBA will donate $10,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, on behalf of Young.

About the Author

Keep Reading

The Atlanta Hawks' Danilo Gallinari (center) works against the Miami Heat's Kyle Lowry during Game 3 of an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at State Farm Arena on April 22, 2022, in Atlanta. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/TNS)

Credit: TNS

Featured

Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

Credit: Family photo