Overview
- The NBA announced the award on Friday, May 22, 2026, during a national broadcast when Carmelo Anthony revealed Adebayo as the winner.
- Adebayo was chosen from five finalists — Harrison Barnes, Jaylen Brown, Tobias Harris and Larry Nance Jr. — by a committee that included Kareem Abdul‑Jabbar, Martin Luther King III and NBA executives.
- The league will give $100,000 to the Bam, Books & Brotherhood Foundation and said Adebayo led 18 initiatives this season that invested over $563,000 in underserved youth and families.
- The NBA cited concrete actions such as providing mattresses, uniforms and supplies to The SEED School of Miami, funding transport for more than 19,000 students to the Miami Book Fair, running large holiday meal distributions and toy drives for more than 2,000 children, and donating a renovated court at Camillus House.
- The award continues a league tradition launched in 2020 to honor player-led civic work and follows other recent recognition for Adebayo, including a December NBA Cares community award and an All-Defensive Second Team nod the same night the Social Justice Champion was announced.