(ThyBlackMan.com) It’s a well-known fact that NBA (National Basketball Association) players are amongst the highest paid sportspersons in the world. These players are making an abundant amount of money. This writer was curious as to how these individuals spread out the immense profits towards the poor and less fortunate in the general public. With fame and resources comes power, and since one gets an exclusive position in the society, there is both pressure and personal motivations towards being charitable. There are many NBA players who are known for giving back. Their off the court performances are as admirable, if not more commendable, as their on the court performances.
Based on this writer’s personal research, here is a list of some of the most charitable NBA players:
LeBron James: Unsurprisingly, LeBron James, who is currently playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, tops the list of the most generous NBA players. He is also listed in the Top 20 charitable athletes in the world; he is the sixth most altruistic sportsperson on the planet. LeBron is currently running the LeBron James Family Foundation, and has done incredible charity work. Other than that, he has also supported the After-School All-Stars, the Children’s Defense Fund, ONEXONE, and Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation. He has done numerous charity works, which are quite praiseworthy. Most recently, James has partnered with the University of Akron to provide a guaranteed four-year scholarship to the school for students in his ”I Promise” program who qualify. The scholarship will cover tuition and the university’s general service fee – currently $9,500 per year.
Carmelo Kyam Anthony: Carmelo Anthony, who plays for the New York Knicks, is one of the kindest and thoughtful NBA players, and his charity work is outstanding. Anthony started The Carmelo 
Anthony Youth Development Center in Baltimore in 2006. Furthermore, he raised $1.3 million for the Living Classroom foundation, which is a non-profit organization. For his remarkable charitable contributions, he was enumerated number eight in “The Giving Back 30 List of Largest Charitable Donations by Celebrities in 2006.”
Dwayne Wade: Wade, who plays for the Miami Heat, has a great deal of humanitarian participation within a number of organizations. In 2009, he donated money from his foundation for a public library to keep it from shutting down. The ‘Athlete Relief Fund for Haiti’ was co-founded by Wade and Alonzo Mourning in 2010 and successfully raised over $800,000. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is also funded by Dwayne Wade.
Joakim Noah: Noah is working as hard as he can to help curb the violence that plagues the beleaguered city of Chicago. As a member of the Chicago Bulls, his charitable organization is called the Noah’s Ark Foundation. Its primary objective is, as he describes it, “To help children develop a stronger sense of self.” Noah recently launched an initiative called the “Rock Your Drop Campaign” that strives to promote collaborative awareness of the violence in the city and encourages supporters to pledge their support for ending the wanton violence the city is brusquely recognized for.
Chris Paul: Fresh off the court with the NBA Cares Community Assist award which recognizes his contributions to his community through the Chris Paul foundation, which was founded by the Los Angeles Clippers’ point guard in 2005 in honor of his late grandfather to provide scholarships for high school graduates to attend Wake Forest University. Paul’s foundation recently helped open a newly refurbished Boys & Girls Club in Watts and also hosted the fourth annual Prom Dress Giveaway, in which 100 L.A.-area high school girls from a variety of community programs selected new and vintage gowns, shoes, jewelry and accessories. Paul insists that “community service is not something I have to do; it’s something I want to do. While donating money is important, it is also important to be visible in the community and sharing time with people so they can know who you are.”
Furthermore, honorable mention goes to the charity works of Rajan Rondo of the Sacramento Kings and Ronny Turiaf of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who both contribute to the wellbeing of the game and mankind.
These NBA players are doing a great deal in serving humanity and “giving back” to maintain this world as a decent place whether you’re a sports fan or not. Interestingly, most of the above mentioned players are not among the richest NBA players, yet their contributions to their respective charities are exceptional. On the other hand, a player like Michael Jordan, who was the first ever NBA player to sign a contract of over thirty million dollars, has a much less significant impact on charity in relation to his massive income.
Jordan has an estimated $1 billion net worth which makes him the unprecedented richest NBA player of all time. Michael Jordan currently serves the role of CEO on the Charlotte Hornets while also being its owner. It makes him not only the first ever former player to become a primary owner of an NBA franchise but also the NBA’s only black principal/majority owner. To be fair Michael is charity minded albeit not to the extent of players of less affluence. What’s needed next is for him to step up his charity game as he’s done on the basketball court and in the sports corporate boardroom.
Staff Writer; Stanley G. Buford
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