Inside The Spurs

Spurs SF Keita Bates-Diop 'Honored,' Named Finalist for NBA's Bob Lanier Award

Keita Bates-Diop has been an advocate for CPR and AED awareness since a 2017 incident involving his brother, and now, his community efforts have earned him a finalist spot for the league's year-long community assist award.

Matt Guzman

Spurs SF Keita Bates-Diop 'Honored,' Named Finalist for NBA's Bob Lanier Award
Spurs SF Keita Bates-Diop 'Honored,' Named Finalist for NBA's Bob Lanier Award /
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Veteran forward Keita Bates-Diop undoubtedly made an impact on the San Antonio Spurs this season. When he wasn't scoring, he was rebounding, and when he wasn't doing either of those things, he was making his presence felt off the court as well.

Bates-Diop is now up for the NBA's 2022-23 Bob Lanier Community Assist Award, given to players who have impacted their communities throughout the entire season. 

The forward has been an advocate for CPR training and AED accessibility for a few years, stemming back to a 2017 incident involving his younger brother, who also played basketball at the time. 

"During [one of] his basketball practices, he collapsed and [suffered] cardiac arrest," Bates-Diop said. "He was clinically dead for two minutes.

"There were two trainers on staff," he added. "The first one went into CPR, while the other went to grab an AED ... and they brought him back to life."

Since the incident, Bates-Diop began a program aimed to educate the public in both CPR and AED usage, with the intent to increase the number of individuals with the necessary knowledge to act in medical emergencies.

His efforts already earned him the NBA's Community Assist Award in February, given to players who actively serve their community in unique ways.

“It’s [was an] honor to receive the Community Assist Award, especially for a cause that is so close to my family.” Bates-Diop said. “CPR training and AED accessibility saved my brother’s life and any awareness we can raise about responding to cardiac arrest quickly is vital. I’m grateful to the NBA for the support and attention they’re bringing to this training so that more lives can be saved.”

The 27-year-old already made his impact in San Antonio on the court, bringing veteran leadership to a young team, but he has also emerged as a community leader in and around San Antonio. 

And that alone is enough to solidify his long lasting impact in the NBA.

The Spurs forward is one of 10 finalists up for the Bob Lanier Community Assist Award, with voting taking place at NBA.com through May 21. 

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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