Billups wins Citizenship Award

Posted: Mon May 5 1:09 PM

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Detroit Pistons guard Chauncey Billups was selected as the recipient of the NBA's J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.

The award, presented annually by the Professional Basketball Writers Association, is named for the second commissioner of the league and honors an NBA player or coach for outstanding service and dedication to the community.

Billups was chosen for his charity work in Detroit and his hometown of Denver.

Among Billups' charitable efforts in the Detroit area has been his involvement in the Children's Center Annual Celebrity Golf Classic the past three years. All proceeds from the event benefit The Children's Center, a non-profit organization established in 1929 as one of the nation's first child guidance clinics. With Billups' help, the organization has raised over $100,000 at each of the past three events.

The 10-year veteran has also supported Why Can't I Go? (WCIG) the past seven years. Through WCIG, whose mission is to provide students the opportunity to learn through diverse traveling experiences, Billups flies a group of 20-30 underprivileged youth from the Minneapolis area to one Pistons game every year, providing tickets for them and meeting with the entire group after the game.

Billups' main charitable effort in Denver continues to be his involvement in the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy with Regis University, an academic camp that readies kids for college. Billups takes part in a three-week camp each summer with students, promoting leadership, critical thinking, team work and conflict resolution skills.

Other Detroit recipients were Bob Lanier in 1977-78, Kent Benson in 1981-82, Isiah Thomas in 1986-87 and Joe Dumars in 1993-94.