NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns was selected as the recipient of the 2023-24 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award by an NBA selection committee. The committee recognized Towns for his commitment to advancing social justice and upholding the values of equality, respect, and inclusion that Abdul-Jabbar and the league have championed for decades. Other finalists for the award included Bam Adebayo, CJ McCollum, Lindy Waters III, and Russell Westbrook.

Towns’ advocacy for voting rights played a significant role in his selection. As a four-time NBA All-Star, he played a crucial part in the passing of Minnesota’s Restore the Vote bill (H.F.28), which restored voting rights to over 55,000 formerly incarcerated individuals in March 2023. Additionally, Towns is an executive producer and investor in the documentary Forgiving Johnny, a film that explores how digital transformation has brought change to the legal justice system. He has also supported Ava DuVernay’s film Origin and serves as a board member of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition.

The award will be presented to Towns before Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets on Friday in Minneapolis.