Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol Are Both Finalists For NBA Charity Award

The Chicago Bulls big man tandem of Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol excel in other areas of life besides basketball. The two players are among the 10 finalists for the 2014-2015 NBA Cares Community Assist Award.

January 29, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard

Wayne Ellington

(2) goes in for a basket against the defense of Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol (16) and center Joakim Noah (13) during the first overtime period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

According to its website, NBA Cares is a league wide initiative to make a difference in the community. It’s mission statement is as follows.

"“Address important social issues such as education, youth and family development, and health and wellness. The NBA and its teams support a range of programs, partners and initiatives that strive to positively impact children and families worldwide.”"

Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol are among the ten finalists for the award. The other eight finalists include Tobias Harris (Orlando), Ben McLemore (Sacramento), Klay Thompson (Golden State), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City), Tyson Chandler (Dallas), Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers), Damian Lillard (Portland) and Anthony Davis (New Orleans). Voting for the award ends on April 27th.

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There are a variety of ways to vote for Noah or Gasol. Courtesy of the Bulls page on NBA.com.

"1. On Twitter, tweet using #NBACommunityAssist and #PauGasol and/or #JoakimNoah. Retweets count as votes!2.On Facebook, comment on a post from a league affiliated account (Chicago Bulls, NBA or NBA Cares) using #NBACommunityAssist #PauGasol and/or #JoakimNoah.3. On Instagram, post a photo using #NBACommunityAssist and #PauGasol and/or #JoakimNoah in the description. Two important notes: Only unique posts will be included in the vote and commenting on a post using the hashtags does not qualify as a vote."

Noah’s and Gasol’s efforts in a poverty stricken/gang ravaged community like Chicago should earn them special consideration for this award.

According to CBS Chicago as of April 2014, “most” of the south and west side of Chicago suffers from poverty rates that range from 40-60%. Areas such as Englewood, Park Manor and Woodlawn have poverty levels that hover over 60%. Chicago has been among the top three cities in the United States in number of murders from 1985-2012 (obviously partly as a result of the population of the city). In terms of homicide rate per 100,000 people, Chicago ranks no. 21 among US cities at 18.5. According to the Chicago Tribune, in 2014, 432 homicides occurred in Chicago. Since the beginning of 2015, 106 homicides have occurred. The violence is largely the result of the gang activity that plagues the city. According to CBS News, Chicago has more than 600 distinct gangs with over 70,000 members. Gang members are responsible for 83% of homicides in the city according to the report.

Noah is working as hard as he can to help curb the violence that plagues the city of Chicago.

His charitable organization is called the Noah’s Ark Foundation, and its primary purpose is as follows: “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 stopping this violence.

In an effort to solidify his ‘Rock Your Drop Campaign”, Noah produced a video with the stories of those people who have had friends and family members die due to violence. The video includes teammates Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson and Nazr Mohammed. Here is the video in its entirety.

Last summer, Noah, in collaboration with Rose, created a Public Service Announcement challenging the populace of Chicago to commit to ending the violence in Chicago. Here is the video.

Noah’s commitment to his cause has no bounds. His efforts have led to potentially dangerous collaborations with Chicago gang members. An incident occurred in late March in which Noah was collaborating with the manager of a rapper who was gang affiliated. Noah was attempting to enlist the rapper into his movement. The manager was murdered shortly after his conversation with Noah. For full coverage of the event, please read my article on it.

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Despite playing in Chicago for the first time in his career, Gasol has also made a tremendously positive impact on the community. In collaboration with his brother, Pau is actively involved with his charitable organization called the Gasol Foundation.The mission of the foundation is to encourage youth to lead a healthier lifestyle. Gasol also is an ambassador for St. Jude Hospital and does a great job of caring for the children in Chicago. At the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year, Gasol’s foundation launched the Vida! Campaign which promoted healthy living habits for children throughout that school year.

Apr 20, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol (16) shoots the ball against Milwaukee Bucks center

Zaza Pachulia

(27) during the second half in game two of the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at the United Center. The Chicago Bulls defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 92-81. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Verdict: Joakim Noah’s willingness to put his own life on the line in order to forward his cause sets him apart from the rest of the finalists. Noah obviously recognizes that a majority of the violence in Chicago (83%) can be attributed to gang members. Therefore, he is targeting the problem directly by working to form alliances with prominent gang members. In doing so, Joakim exposes himself to the potentially lethal web of gang alliances and rivalries. Not to take anything away from any of the other finalists, but Noah’s contributions qualify him to win the 2014-2015 Community Assist Award.

Your turn to weigh in! Has Noah’s or Gasol’s charitable work distinguished them from the rest of the candidates?