PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Last Friday, the NBA announced that Sixers forward Tobias Harris was one of five finalists for the inaugural Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award.
Harris' fellow finalists are Carmelo Anthony of the Portland Trail Blazers, Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings, Jrue Holiday of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Juan Toscano-Anderson of the Golden State Warriors. The finalists were chosen by a committee that included Abdul-Jabbar himself.
After the Sixers' Game 3 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, Harris spoke about being a finalist and being active with education in Philadelphia, even though he grew up in New York.
"It's a huge honor to be selected in that group, with all those guys as well," Harris said. "And for me, obviously, education and education for our youth has been a huge focal point that I like to get involved in. I play in Philadelphia, and that's where I live and where I'm at. I wanted to really get down to the roots of the school system and find out a way that I can make an impact and help the kids out in the Philadelphia area."
Through the Tobias Harris Charitable Fund, he has committed $2 million toward educational equity. This year, he gave $300,000 to The Fund For The School District of Philadelphia so teachers from HBCUs or from diverse backgrounds could be hired, which included relocation stipends.
Harris also started the Tobias' Top Teachers program — aiding in the funding of 55 professional development workshops while giving 800 new teachers essential classroom supplies.
Through Harris' Lit Labs program — he provided 30,000 books to 8,000 kids in Philadelphia to help with summer reading.
"Education has always been a huge focal point for me in the things that I do in terms of philanthropy and to be selected as a finalist for that award is an amazing honor for me."
Harris has been an advocate for social justice and has spoken out against systemic racism. In 2020 he marched in Philadelphia to protest police brutality and wrote an article in The Players' Tribune reflecting on racism after the murder of George Floyd.
The winner of the inaugural Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award will be announced during TNT's coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals. The winner will get to contribute $100,000 to organization of his choosing focused on advancing social justice — while the remaining finalists will donate $25,000 organizations they choose.
Harris has chosen The Fund For The School District of Philadelphia.