Richardson was named co-winner of the January NBA Cares Community Assist Award
and was the lone winner from the Dallas Mavericks this season.
The award recognizes players each month who best reflect the passion that the league and NBA players share for giving back to their communities.
“My family instilled in me early on the value of service and that communities are created and sustained by our ability to support and serve others,” said Richardson. “I’m grateful to the Mavs organization and community for welcoming me with open arms, supporting Dallas is a priority for me.”
The winner will be determined by an NBA executive panel and a fan vote.
This season, fans can vote for their nominees using Twitter and Jebbit – a mobile platform specializing in data collection.
The Seasonlong nominee group includes the off-season award winner, six monthly winners, plus three additional players identified by the NBA.
Voting will take place for a period of 12 days beginning Tuesday, June 8 and concluding on Saturday, June 19. The winner will be announced during an upcoming virtual presentation.
Richardson joined the Mavericks shortly before the start of the 2020-21 season and quickly sought to make an impact in the greater Dallas area, surprising dozens of frontline health care workers from UT Southwestern Medical Center with Reebok sneakers, team merchandise and a surprise video message thanking them for their ongoing efforts to keep the community safe.
He also visited a Dallas Independent School District first grade class as a guest reader, surprising the students and encouraging them to embrace reading and education during the particular challenges of this school year.
As the son of an Air Force servicewoman, Richardson has continued to work with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, which provides comfort, care and resources to family and friends grieving the death of a servicemember. For several years, he has developed a close relationship with his mentee, Elijah, through the program, and during the holiday season, he provided gifts for more than 20 families who have also lost a loved one in service.
In late April, Richardson also joined the Mavericks to donate new furniture, bedding and other surprises to some of the bravest men and women in the city at Dallas Fire Station 8. As the son of a former firefighter, the donation was personal for Richardson and his parents joined him on a Zoom call to make the donation.
He was presented with his award during a special virtual ceremony with the league and was presented his trophy when the Mavericks faced Boston on Feb. 28.
In addition, Kaiser Permanente and the NBA donated $10,000 on Richardson’s behalf to the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors.
Diana Hosford has been with TAPS since 2013 and created a program that would allow TAPS to create meaningful opportunities for the families of the fallen through sports. This led to the partnerships with athletes like Richardson.
Hosford said it’s also vital to have athletes with a military background, like Josh, because they’re able to connect with children on a closer level.
“They look at Josh and they think ‘amazing NBA player, phenomenal athlete’ but even more, they see a military kid. He grew up having a mom in the service, just like them. So the connection that someone like Josh can make with the kids also empowers them and makes them feel excited and happy. Josh takes the time to celebrate the life and service with those kids and gives them time to smile and be joyful.”
Josh understands that his role as a professional athlete comes with great responsibility, like giving back to those who protect us each day.
“I just think that anyone that I can help and bring happiness and joy to their lives is an opportunity I and anyone else should jump at.”
Last season, Dallas Mavericks forward/center Dwight Powell was named a recipient of the NBA Cares 2019-20 End of Season Community Assist Award. He became the first player in Mavericks history to take home the yearly honor.
Richardson joins nine other nominees this season, including: Toronto’s DeAndre’ Bembry, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee’s Jrue Holiday, Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, San Antonio’s Patty Mills, Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook and Larry Nance Jr.
The players are selected by the NBA for going above and beyond in the community, a standard set by NBA Legend David Robinson.
MFFL Fan Voting:
Voting will take place for a period of 12 days beginning Tuesday, June 8 and concluding on Saturday, June 19. The winner will be announced during an upcoming virtual presentation.
In order to cast a vote, fans will have to do the following:
Jebbit: View player vignette sharing their impacts on communities on Jebbit’s platform and vote for the player that best serves their community. Jebbit votes can be shared on twitter and will count as a second vote
Twitter: Tweet a comment using #NBACommunityAssist and #PlayerFirstNameLastName (i.e. #NBACommunityAssist #JoshRichardson) | Vote using #NBACommunityAssist and either the player’s full name typed out or their Twitter handle. Retweets also count as votes. So, fans can tweet #NBACommunityAssist #JoshRichardson or #NBACaresCommunity @J_Rich1.
Fan voting concludes on Saturday, June 19, at 10:59 PM CT.
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