Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Wayne Ellington has received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his continued involvement in the prevention of gun violence, the NBA announced on Wednesday.
Ellington, whose father was shot to death in 2014 in Philadelphia while sitting in his car, has been an advocate for gun violence prevention ever since.
In his article, "Pops," written in The Players' Tribune, Ellington recounts his tragic experience first hand and expresses his desire to better the lives of others through the game of basketball.
"One of my main focuses now is making sure more families don’t suffer the same loss that mine did. That’s how I really want to honor Pops," he wrote.
Before the 2015-16 regular season began, Ellington helped run the Chicago Peace League Basketball Tournament in an attempt to limit the amount of gang violence in the city.
"The whole purpose of the event is to bring teenagers from neighborhoods that have a lot of gun violence together for a basketball tournament," Ellington wrote. "The idea behind bringing these kids together in the same place is to show them exactly how similar they really are. They should be brothers, not enemies."
Ellington wants to expand the tournament's outreach beyond Chicago, specifically to Philadelphia, the city where his father taught him to play basketball two decades ago.
"I’m planning on bringing the Peace Games to Philadelphia this coming fall," he wrote. "My hope is that the kids there can start to see the bigger picture. I want to encourage them to have goals."
"My dad served as such an important mentor to me. He encouraged me to dream. He saw my potential even before I did, and gave me this belief in myself that made me feel invincible. Maybe I can give that to another kid who needs it."
Ellington was chosen for the award by the Professional Basketball Writers Association. The other finalists were George Hill, LeBron James, Chris Paul, and John Wall.
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