Trae Young’s ability to set up teammates on the basketball court has carried over into his role as a community leader as well. The Hawks guard 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. Young was recognized for his charity work in his home state of Oklahoma as well as in Georgia.
“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 has been recognized for his work with RIP Medical Debt after he donated $10,000 through the Trae Young Foundation to erase over $1 million in medical debt for 570 people in Georgia. He was also recognized for his work with the Trae Young Basketball Academy in Oklahoma, a program that teaches kids important life skills and moral values through the sport, and the Trae Young Foundation, an Atlanta-based charity that focuses on mental health and the prevention of cyber and social-media bullying online.
Young was given the award in an on-court ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 22 when the Hawks faced the Dallas Mavericks at State Farm Arena. The award was presented by NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo, and Kaiser Permanente and the NBA donated $10,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta on behalf of Young.
