Dalembert honored for charity work
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Dalembert honored for charity work
Sixers center Samuel Dalembert is the 2009-10 recipient of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award presented annually by the Professional Basketball Writers Association. The award is named for the second commissioner of the league and honors an NBA player or coach for outstanding service and dedication to the community.
Dalembert has worked tirelessly to provide relief to victims of a devastating earthquake in his native Haiti since Jan. 12. In addition to making a personal donation of $100,000 to UNICEF, he visited the stricken country twice and raised awareness of the need for relief.
His Samuel Dalembert Foundation, founded in 2007, teams with UNICEF, the Red Cross and Feed the Children to assist relief efforts in Haiti. Dalembert has also been active in helping to build a training facility and a school in Haiti called the Dalembert Academy.
“What Samuel has done should be a model for all professional athletes. He saw a crying need for help and worked tirelessly to give whatever aid he could while spurring others to act and contribute as well,” said Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, president of the PBWA.
The PBWA represents approximately 150 writers for newspapers, magazines and Internet services who cover the NBA on a regular basis. Members nominate players and vote for the award. The finalists this season were Dalembert, Charlie Villanueva of the Detroit Pistons, Ronny Turiaf of the Golden State Warriors and Adonal Foyle of the Orlando Magic.
Way to go Sammy D! No doubt, you earned and deserve this. Keep up the good work and am looking forward to your future works...Again, congratulations.
Readers can dog Sammy out about basketball but where are the comments to congratulate him for this recognition? Congrats Sammy for your humanitarian work in Haiti.— WhatNow- Maybe he can get honored as a Sixer one day.— BRIANMC
- Answering the question: Yes, we all should.
- Sammy is a cool dude. I meet him at the MLS Draft in Philly this year. Very friendly and a big soccer fan as well.— phillysports33
- Show them the way Sammy-if only the Gilbert Arenas' of the world would put their time, money and energy into humanitarian works instead of carrying loaded weapons into the locker room to settle gambling debts.— KimThL
- I heard Sammy showed up late for the award ceremony and Eddie Jordan posthumously fined him for tardiness. Jordan is quoted as saying, "What is it with you, son? Ignorance or apathy?" Sammy replied, "Coach, I don't know and I don't care."— The Cunning Runt
Comment removed.- Of course everyone, especially the richest, should contribute in a careful and consistent way. If you travel the world you see a lot of need. Natural disasters call attention to that. Sammy played through his crisis and his assistance in Haiti, even had some very good games during that time.— keepitsimple
- Disaster recovery goes far beyond food, water and medicine. It’s about infrastructure, education, economy and emotional healing. A new documentary shows what disaster recovery looks like in the long-term, by examining three survivors of the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. “Kepulihan: Stories from the Tsunami” follows the lives of three survivors over the course of the four years immediately following one of the worst natural disasters in human history. It will air on ABC on November 21, 2010. For more information, please visit our website at www.thetsunamifilm.com, or find us on Facebook by searching for “Kepulihan: Stories from the Tsunami.”— tandemagency
- While 'Sammy the Stiff' should be recognized for his work with his charity and the rebuilding effort in Haiti, can we please stop praising him for his $100,000 donation! I understand that it is alot of money to you and I. But he makes over 12 million A YEAR!! Lets put this in perspective for the common folk. It would be like a person who makes $60,000 a year making a $500 donation. And then being showered with gratitude from the media as being so generous. Give me a break!!!!!— ronm
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.
