MILWAUKEE – Bucks guard Pat Connaughton taking home the 6th annual Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award for his “sustained efforts” in creating access to youth sports in his communities prior to the season’s start.
Connaughton, through the Pat Connaughton Foundation, “inspires” and “motivates” young hoopers to chase their dreams. He held several clinics in the Milwaukee and Boston area that provided “premiere skill development and character-building experiences,” according to a press release sent out.
Connaughton developed a new program, Connaughton Courts, where the goal is to refurbish basketball courts to help “transform communities.”
His foundation donated $50,000 to St. Augustine Prep in Milwaukee to build new basketball courts to provide a “high-end” gym for kids in the community.
The Bucks player served as a “hands-on” clinic leader at his basketball camps this summer reaching “nearly 500” youth.
“As a multi-sport athlete, sport has taught me some of life’s most valuable lessons – hard work, teamwork, accountability, discipline, and commitment,” Connaughton says. “I want to give back to the communities I call home and provide our next generation with opportunities and life lessons through the lens of youth sports. My goal is always to show kids their potential and inspire them to dream big. Whether they want to be a professional athlete, a scientist, a teacher, or anything else when they grow up, it’s possible. The lessons and values that they learn on the court translate across their lives and can help them achieve incredible things. I am honored to be in a position and have a platform that allows me to inspire the next generation of student athletes and shape them into our future leaders.”
The Bucks plan on presenting the award to Connaughton Friday, Nov. 5 before the game against the OKC Thunder tips off at 7 p.m.
