Bam Adebayo Wins NBA Social Justice Champion Award

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo was honored by the NBA on Friday with the league's Social Justice Champion award, receiving the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy, and was named to the All-Defensive Second Team for the 2025-26 season.

Adebayo becomes the sixth recipient of the Social Justice Champion award, which recognizes a current NBA player for pursuing social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar's mission to engage, empower, and drive equality for historically disadvantaged communities. The award includes a $100,000 charitable donation from the NBA, which will go to Adebayo's Bam, Books and Brotherhood Foundation. In a statement, Adebayo said, "I accept this award not just for myself, but for every voice that has gone unheard and every person working behind the scenes to create a more just and compassionate world."

Through the Bam Adebayo Foundation, Adebayo invested more than $563,000 across 18 initiatives this season focused on educational equity, food security, and youth development in underserved communities in South Florida and his native North Carolina. The league cited his provision of mattresses, uniforms, and school supplies for students at the SEED School of Miami, funding...