Thursday night in Dallas, Powell will host 40 children from three organizations in honor of Development Disability Awareness Month. It will be the Mavs’ largest meet and greet of the season.
On Tuesday night, Powell purchased suites for 44 UTSW Medical Center staff for the home game against the Pacers. The specific staff that attended helps with programming for the Dwight Powell Children and Family Support program at the hospital. During the holidays, he delivered a check for over $100K to the hospital, surpassing $1 million in funds Powell and his supporters have donated in the last six seasons.
Powell’s community support this week alone has been exceptional.
He joined the Mavs last Friday in Dallas, fresh from a long road trip, for a field trip at the African American Museum with James Madison High School students to celebrate Black History Month.
“First and foremost, selfishly, I came out here today to learn,” Powell said. “I haven’t been here yet, and I’ve lived in Dallas far too long and will definitely be back. We got to see some contemporary art and folk art and a little history. So this is super exciting.”
The Stanford graduate said there’s also great value in contemporary art because there are wonderful things happening right now in the Black community “which is also super important,” he said. “So this is really exciting.”
Powell will also be at Friday’s Mavs Ball to help raise significant funds for the Mavs Foundation. He is the only member of the team to have attended every Mavs Ball since the gala started eight years ago.
“Dwight has a heart of gold and has always believed in giving back,” said Katie Edwards, Chief Impact Officer at the Dallas Mavericks. “He gives and gives to his teammates, to his Mavs family and to the community. His character and integrity shows in his hard work and commitment to excellence both on the court and off, but also in how he treats people with love and respect. He models to all of us what it means to be a good human. I am so proud of him and eternally grateful for the impact he makes here in North Texas and beyond.”
Powell’s visit to the African American Museum also revealed a secret that very few people know about him — he’s an artist in his spare time. The native of Toronto, Canada, explained how artwork allows him to step away from the court and use his creative talents in various ways. He also loves to display artwork at home.
“I don’t have anything on my walls that was not created by someone I know or that was personally made,” Powell said.
How serious is his commitment towards empowering local artists? After the visit to the African American Museum, he personally went to visit a local artist with artwork displayed in the museum to purchase pieces.
Powell shared how no one has ever asked about his passion for art, so this is the first time he’s revealed his art hobby. He said the visit to the museum was personally gratifying on many levels.
“We have images, pictures, ideas that are expressing some things that we can all relate to, that our community can relate to,” said Powell. “They are important reminders of our strength, of our capabilities and power, but also of our struggles. It’s a beautiful collection.”
Dr. Harry Robinson, Jr., is the president and CEO of the museum. He said it was great to have Powell and all the James Madison students step away from their lives and into a piece of Dallas history.
“We are so excited that the Mavericks honored us by coming here,” Dr. Robinson said. “In our community, sports and music rule. We try to keep up this tradition and use sports to encourage people to do [many] positive things.”
Powell has longed been considered one of the most giving and compassionate athletes in all of sports. He received the NBA Cares 2019-20 End-of-Season Community Assist Award, becoming the first player in Mavs history to take home the yearly honor since the NBA started selecting overall winners after the 2011-12 season.
“In my opinion, being a community member means lending your neighbor a hand whenever needed and searching for ways to help make your community a better place for all who live there,” Powell said.
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