Anthony, Barea, Durant, Harden, Wade chosen as 2017-18 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award finalists

Carmelo Anthony, J.J. Barea, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Dwyane Wade have been chosen as finalists for the 2017-18 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, the Professional Basketball Writers Association announced today.

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

Each NBA team was offered the opportunity to nominate someone for the award and was asked to describe the nominee’s off-the-court accomplishments since the end of last season. A panel of 25 PBWA members reviewed the submissions and determined the finalists through a vote.

The winner will be decided through a vote of the PBWA’s full membership.

The finalists’ contributions are summarized below by their respective teams.

Carmelo Anthony (Oklahoma City Thunder)
When Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, Anthony acted quickly, raising awareness, funds and volunteers to ensure the island was not forgotten. With his Puerto Rico Relief Fund, Anthony raised over $450,000, and the Carmelo Anthony Foundation delivered emergency hygiene kits, shoes and over 100,000 pounds of food and water to those affected by the storm.

Anthony has quickly ingrained himself into the fabric of the Oklahoma City community as well. His foundation joined forces with Feed the Children and provided essentials to 800 Oklahoma families with a No Hunger Holiday event in November.

Anthony also brought with him his long-standing holiday initiative, A Very Melo Christmas, rewarding 250 middle-school students for their essays on having a “Be-More” attitude, full of determination to be more than the world says you are. Before the private movie screening, Anthony talked to the students about how they can make a difference in the world.

J.J. Barea (Dallas Mavericks)
When his home of Puerto Rico was devastated in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Barea responded quickly.

Barea coordinated five trips to the island to aid in relief efforts. He borrowed the Mavericks’ team plane from owner Mark Cuban to deliver much-needed supplies in the days following the storm.

Working with partners in North Texas, Barea provided more than 100,000 pounds of supplies to the island, including 32 generators, 14,000 pounds of water, 10,000 pounds of food and 3,000 pounds of medical supplies, diapers, clothing, cleaning products and toiletries on the first trip alone.

Barea also launched a fundraiser on YouCaring.com for families impacted by the hurricane. The effort generated more than $250,000 in contributions, and he personally raised nearly $500,000. He worked with the Mavericks to donate 100 percent of all single-game ticket sales from their Oct. 25 game against the Memphis Grizzlies to Puerto Rico, generating an additional $114,000 for the island’s recovery. He also teamed up with his alma mater, Northeastern University, to host Paws For Puerto, a night of fundraising for hurricane relief, on Dec. 5.

Barea also collaborated with ofo, the world’s leading station-free bike-sharing company, to donate 600 bikes to be distributed throughout Puerto Rico.

His foundation, the J.J. Barea Foundation, offers economic assistance to nonprofit entities in Puerto Rico.

Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors)
The Kevin Durant Charity Foundation aims to enrich the lives of at-risk youth from low-income backgrounds through educational, athletic and social programs. The foundation donated a 10-year, $10 million commitment to bring College Track’s college completion program to Durant’s hometown in Maryland, creating The Durant Center, a new state-of-the-art educational and leadership facility.

“Build It and They Will Ball,” the foundation’s flagship program, has built or renovated 14 courts in four countries. This past September, the program unveiled a new court in Redwood City, Calif., at the Boys & Girls Club. In August, two new courts in India were unveiled. And in May, three outdoor courts and one indoor court were refurbished at Lincoln Square Recreation Center in Oakland, Calif.

Durant also announced a $3 million donation to the University of Texas’ basketball programs and the school’s Center for Sports Leadership & Innovation. Durant also contributed $10,000 to Colin Kaepernick’s “10 for 10” campaign. Over the past two years, Durant has provided tickets to games for over 1,600 youngsters to attend Warriors home games, many for the first time.

Kevin also continued his partnership with the Oakland Elizabeth House and partnered with Larkin Street Youth Services — programs for people experiencing homelessness — by providing presents for the holidays. In addition to providing gifts, he donated $25,000 to be split between the two organizations.

Durant granted the wishes of three boys facing life-threatening illnesses, bringing each child to a Warriors game for a special one-on-one experience with the team.

James Harden (Houston Rockets)
Following the destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey to the Houston area in August, Harden met with Mayor Sylvester Turner to visit flood evacuees and donated $1 million to the city’s relief efforts. In November, Harden and Chris Paul partnered with State Farm to present students impacted by the storm with backpacks stuffed with books and school supplies.

Harden returned to the school district later that month to provide a catered Thanksgiving meal for students and their families. Along with his family, Harden also hosted his sixth annual holiday shopping experience for a group of children from underserved families. During All-Star Weekend, Harden visited his former middle school in Los Angeles and teamed with Adidas to announce the refurbishment of the school’s gymnasium and basketball courts.

Over the summer, Harden organized and hosted the inaugural JH-Town Weekend in Houston. Festivities commenced with Harden and his mother, Monja Willis, providing 150 children from the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston with a backpack and school supplies. JH-Town Weekend featured a two-day charity basketball tournament, which was capped off by a star-studded game featuring several Rockets and players from around the NBA. Proceeds from the tournament went toward funding 3 The Harden Way’s scholarship programs. Harden also announced a $100,000 donation to Texas Southern University to help students in financial need.

Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)
After the recent tragedy in Parkland, Wade visited Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on the students’ first day back at school.

He spent time with the students, teachers and administrators to learn more about their initiatives and how he could be involved.

Wade has since donated $200,000 to help youngsters in Chicago join the Parkland students’ March for Our Lives movement in Washington, D.C., in an effort to end gun violence.

He has called for other NBA players to help join the cause, recently receiving commitments from the NBPA and Carmelo Anthony.

Wade also dedicated a special exhibit called “Parkland 17” in Wynwood, a district in Miami.

On March, 10, he visited Wynwood after a Heat home game, meeting students and parents, while also meeting another Stoneman Douglas family.

One of the 17 victims in the tragedy, Joaquin Oliver, was buried in a Wade jersey. Wade has since written Joaquin’s name on his shoes every game, met privately with Joaquin’s family and has dedicated the remainder of the season in Joaquin’s honor.

Wade also joined a Sports and Society Roundtable during All-Star Weekend to discuss how athletes can make an impact on the communities where they live.

The Wade’s World Foundation is involved in numerous year-round programs, including Global Outreach, Spotlight On, Season of Giving, Basketball Camps and Live to Dream in the Chicago, Milwaukee and Miami areas.

J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award winners
1974-75 Wes Unseld, Washington
1975-76 Slick Watts, Seattle
1976-77 Dave Bing, Washington
1977-78 Bob Lanier, Detroit
1978-79 Calvin Murphy, Houston
1979-80 Austin Carr, Cleveland
1980-81 Mike Glenn, New York
1981-82 Kent Benson, Detroit
1982-83 Julius Erving, Philadelphia
1983-84 Frank Layden, Utah
1984-85 Dan Issel, Denver
1985-86 Michael Cooper, L.A. Lakers, and Rory Sparrow, New York
1986-87 Isiah Thomas, Detroit
1987-88 Alex English, Denver
1988-89 Thurl Bailey, Utah
1989-90 Doc Rivers, Atlanta
1990-91 Kevin Johnson, Phoenix
1991-92 Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers
1992-93 Terry Porter, Portland
1993-94 Joe Dumars, Detroit
1994-95 Joe O’Toole, Atlanta
1995-96 Chris Dudley, Portland
1996-97 P.J. Brown, Miami
1997-98 Steve Smith, Atlanta
1998-99 Brian Grant, Portland
1999-00 Vlade Divac, Sacramento
2000-01 Dikembe Mutombo, Philadelphia
2001-02 Alonzo Mourning, Miami
2002-03 David Robinson, San Antonio
2003-04 Reggie Miller, Indiana
2004-05 Eric Snow, Cleveland
2005-06 Kevin Garnett, Minnesota
2006-07 Steve Nash, Phoenix
2007-08 Chauncey Billups, Detroit
2008-09 Dikembe Mutombo, Houston
2009-10 Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia
2010-11 Metta World Peace, L.A. Lakers
2011-12 Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers
2012-13 Kenneth Faried, Denver
2013-14 Luol Deng, Cleveland
2014-15 Joakim Noah, Chicago
2015-16 Wayne Ellington, Brooklyn
2016-17 LeBron James, Cleveland