The NBA announced yesterday that Kenneth Faried, forward for the Denver Nuggets, is February's recipient of the “Kia Community Assist Award”. He received the award from Kia and the NBA in part for his efforts to champion equality and bring awareness to the importance of respect and inclusion. Faried recently gained public attention when he became a member of Athlete Ally, the first NBA player to have done so. He attended the launch party for One Colorado to celebrate the passing of Senate Bill 11, The Colorado Civil Union Act. Kenneth Faried's stance on these issues arises from the refreshing. Upon receiving the award Faried stated:
“It’s an honor to receive this award and to have people in the NBA consider me as an ambassador in the community for the Nuggets. The things I do around the community and for others outside my family and myself, I don’t do them for accolades and awards. I do them because I enjoy it, and it puts joy and love into my heart.”
This is clearly true considering the award also serves to recognize Faried's outstanding efforts in the community and his ongoing philanthropic and charitable work. The Denver Nuggets power forward fostered this reputation by joining in as an honorary coach at the 2013 NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified Sports Basketball Game. He also made significant contributions to benefit his surrounding community by purchasing blocks of season tickets for children from Special Olympics Colorado, Denver Public Schools and the Denver Rescue Mission. Additionally, Faried treated a group of patients and families at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to a Team Fit clinic as part of the NBA Cares Pediatric Cancer Awareness Campaign. In congruence with the award, both Kia and the NBA will donate $10,000 to the Lupus Colorado and to Special Olympics Colorado: Projects UNIFY. In addition to the monthly award, the NBA presents an end of the year award to recognize players for their good deeds throughout the season: it would be hard to find someone more deserving of this than Kenneth Faried.