Knicks' Julius Randle Among 10 Up For NBA's Community Assist Award

The off-court efforts of New York Knicks All-Star Julius Randle are being recognized by the NBA, as he's one of the 10 players up for the award named after the late Bob Lanier.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

If this is truly the end of Julius Randle's New York Knicks tenure, he might be able to go out with some special hardware.

Randle was one of 10 nominees for the year-long, 2022-23 Bob Lanier Community Assist Award, a list revealed on Wednesday hours before the Knicks face a fateful Game 5 in their playoff series against the Miami Heat (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT). 

Voted upon by fans, the honor is said to "culminate the season-long recognition of NBA players’ commitments to their communities." Fans can vote on NBA.com beginning on Wednesday with the polls closing on May 21.

A video highlighting Randle's nomination calls him a player "dedicated to uplifting, encouraging, and providing resources to local youth and single mothers while striving to close the gap in access that many communities are facing across New York City."

The visual pamphlet also spotlights Randle's creative and lucrative "30 for 3 Initiative," which promises $500 in charitable funds to the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School in The Bronx. This regular season alone saw Randle raise $109,000 from the 218 successful triple attempts and he added $6,000 more during the team's ongoing playoff run, which has seen him sink 12 over eight appearances.

The Community Assist Award is named after Hall of Famer and Detroit Pistons star Bob Lanier, who went on to serve as a global ambassador for the NBA Cares initiative before his passing in 2022. Joining Randle as the nominees for the 2022-23 award are Keita Bates-Diop (San Antonio), Alex Caruso (Chicago), Pat Connaughton, Brook Lopez (both Milwaukee), James Harden, Tyrese Maxey (both Philadelphia), Cameron Payne (Phoenix), Dwight Powell (Dallas), and Marcus Smart (Boston). 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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