Steph Curry wins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy

Curry does the bulk of his charity work through the Eat.Learn.Play Foundation, run by himself and his wife Ayesha Curry. They provide meals to Oakland schoolchildren and produce to underprivileged people, donate money and books to help grade level literacy, and host summer camps for more than 10,000 kids. The foundation also repairs Oakland schoolyards and basketball courts and introduces kids to golf — perhaps building the next generation of "Holey Moley" viewers.

In 2022, he co-chaired Michelle Obama's "When We All Vote" initiative to encourage voter registration and election turnout. He also committed $6 million to fund the golf teams at Howard University, which hasn't had a golf program in half a century. Curry chose the University of San Francisco Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice as the recipient of the NBA's $100K donation in his name as part of the award.

Curry said he supported USF's "commitment to overcoming injustice and systemic violence through peace," adding, "As an athlete, I consistently leverage my platform to amplify advocacy and address the pervasive issue of systemic racism."

Abdul-Jabbar congratulated Curry, whom he once called his "favorite player."

Curry also stirred controversy this year by opposing an affordable housing plan in Atherton. He and Ayesha wrote a letter opposing the upzoning of a single-family home near where they live, asking the city to "commit to investing in considerably taller fencing and landscaping to block sight lines onto our family's property." Atherton has to add affordable housing to comply with the state of California's housing plan, a mandate that has caused an uproar among the city's wealthy residents.

That wasn't enough to stop him from beating out the other finalists — Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Grizzlies, Spurs guard Tre Jones, Suns guard Chris Paul and Celtics forward Grant Williams. Those players will all receive $25K for the organizations of their choice.

The NBA started the award in 2021, with recently retired forward Carmelo Anthony receiving the first honor. Last year, Reggie Bullock of the Dallas Mavericks won for his work supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

Curry and the Splash Brothers may be out of the playoffs, but his philanthropy work is still making a splash.