Detroit Pistons a finalist for ESPN team humanitarian award
By Duncan Smith
The Detroit Pistons have made a name for themselves as a community-minded organization, and the sports world has taken note.
The Detroit Pistons have emphasized community for some time, dating back to the Pistons’ previous owner William Davidson’s decision to personally fund the building of the Palace of Auburn Hills, using no public funds for the construction of the arena.
More from PistonPowered
- Which Detroit Pistons could save Team USA in the Olympics?
- Detroit Pistons could have major roster churn after 2023-24 season
- The best Detroit Pistons to wear each uniform number
- Full Detroit Pistons NBA 2K24 ratings
- Detroit Pistons: Who will sign the remaining NBA free agents?
The current regime under Tom Gores has followed suit. The Pistons have reached out to the Metro Detroit community in a number of ways, like taking part in Detroit’s Slow Roll bike ride before this past regular season began, and they have also expanded their charitable grasp to the city of Flint, Michigan, in the wake of that region’s water crisis.
As a result, the Pistons have been named one of four finalists for ESPN’s Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year award which recognizes teams that benefit a community or cause in a measurable way.
The NBA’s official press release states:
"Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores views the franchise as a community asset, and the organization has rallied its players, partners and fans in support of a broad range of charitable programs. The team’s response to the Flint water crisis is an important example. Gores, a Flint native, pledged $10 million to support relief and revitalization efforts in Flint and launched a private sector campaign called FlintNOW. Pistons players, head coach Stan Van Gundy, and vice chairman Arn Tellem rallied support for relief efforts throughout the NBA community, including other team owners. In addition, the Pistons partnered with the National Basketball Players Association to deliver 8,000 nutrition packs to Flint school children. The team has also hosted basketball camps and other events to inspire kids and raise awareness about issues facing the community."
The Pistons’ activities in Flint have been expansive, including an outreach to 100 elementary school students at Brownell K-2 STEM Academy in early June.
"All of the children were handed free nutrition backpacks on behalf of a partnership with the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), Pistons owner Tom Gores’ FlintNow campaign and the Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative… Every kid in grades K-6 within the Flint Community Schools will receive these backpacks in connection with the partnership."
The other finalists for this award are the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS, the San Francisco 49ers and the San Francisco Giants. The winner will be announced on July 12th in Los Angeles, and the winner will be able to direct a $100,000 grant from ESPN to the charity related to the award-winning efforts. The other finalists will receive $25,000 for the same purpose.