Thompson is up for service award
It’s award season in the NBA, and the Warriors are up for yet another one. Klay Thompson is a finalist for the NBA community service award.
The NBA Cares Community Assist award honors players who have made a difference. Among the contributions Thompson, 25, has made this season: donating $20,000 to Oakland’s annual Thanksgiving dinner for low-income families and taking a sixth-grade class on a holiday shopping spree.
“That was a lot of fun,” Thompson said. “I remember the excitement of going to a toy store. It’s great to be in the unique position to put a smile on a kid’s face.”
That spree was organized by Good Tidings Foundation, a Bay Area group whose mission is to provide support in arts, education and athletics for low-income children. Thompson donated the $15,000 he won for receiving the Al Attles Community Impact Award to the organization.
“The beauty of Klay is he’s not much older than the kids he took shopping,” founder Larry Harper said. “He could talk video games with them, how he was in school.
“God gave him two great things: an amazing jump shot and a big heart.”
Thompson saw the impact his father Mychal made as a pro, going back to the Bahamas to run camps for children and provide them with gear.
“My parents always taught me how much more fun and fulfilling it is to give than receive,” Thompson said.
At Thanksgiving, Thompson took the Sims family — Jonathan and his four daughters — shopping for a holiday dinner.
“He did not treat us like someone who was going through the motions,” said Sims, a Richmond pastor, as well as a coach and mentor to young people. “He was so engaging.”
Thompson would be honored to receive the NBA award, which Stephen Curry won last year.
“It’s cool to get recognized for something outside of basketball,” he said. “We’re in such a great position to have kids look up to us and realize we can have a lot of influence.”