Suns’ Bismack Biyombo wins March NBA Cares Community Assist Award
Apr 19, 2022, 11:32 AM | Updated: 11:41 am
Phoenix Suns big man Bismack Biyombo was recognized for his charitable efforts in his native Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday, winning the NBA Cares Community Assist Award for the month of March.
Biyombo will be presented with the award ahead of the Suns’ Game 2 matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Additionally, the NBA and Kaiser Permanente will donate $10,000 to the Bismack Biyombo Foundation, which is focused on activating the human potential in the field of education, health and sport.
“I think it’s great,” Biyombo told reporters Tuesday. “One of those things that was a little bit confusing for me is that when you do the right thing, people congratulate you. … For me, it’s just like, ‘I don’t think I should be congratulated for doing the right thing.’
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“But obviously being recognized is great because the whole idea of doing things like this is to be able to inspire as many people in my position if not better to continue to do this kind of work.”
Last month, Biyombo announced he would be donating the entirety of his 2021-22 salary to help build a hospital in his homeland of the D.R.C in honor of his late father, Francois, who died in August.
“I wanted to make this year about my dad because he spent most of his life making his life about me, my brothers, my sisters and servicing people, and I’ve seen how people try to survive daily in the Congo,” Biyombo said in a press release.
“I thought we were doing enough by refurbishing hospitals and clinics, but I think it’s time we go a little bigger by building something that will service people, hopefully for generations.”
The foundation hands out 185 scholarships each year and in 2019 hosted 1,000 kids in Biyombo’s basketball and soccer clinics.
Biyombo’s goal is for all Congolese to have access to affordable health care.
Each month, the NBA honors an athlete “who best demonstrates the passion that the league and NBA players share for giving back to their communities.”
