Chris Paul Wins First Ever Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award

February 25, 2022 

During last weekend's NBA All-Star game, Phoenix Suns star, Chris Paul, became the first-ever recipient of the Kobe and Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award. The 12-time All-Star was recognized for his significant contributions to the advancement of girls' and women's basketball and advocacy for the WNBA.  

Honoring late NBA great Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, known as Gigi, the award was presented by the WNBA and Vanessa Bryant during the NBA’s exhibition game. The former Los Angeles Lakers star was dedicated to elevating the growth of women’s basketball on every level and launched the Mamba Sports Academy (now known as the Sports Academy), a place where he hosted workouts for NBA and WNBA players and coached his 13-year-old daughter Gigi’s basketball team. 

Bryant was also involved in the ‘Her Time to Play’ initiative created by the WNBA and NBA, empowering girls to participate in athletics. Gigi also loved the game of basketball and aspired to one-day join the WNBA. Following her tragic death in 2020, she and two of her teammates were posthumously selected as honorary picks in the 2020 WNBA draft. The Kobe and Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy award was created to honor advocates who use their platform to raise awareness for the WNBA and girls’ basketball like Kobe did. 

“I have seen first-hand Chris' appreciation of the WNBA and the game at every level for women and girls, especially in Phoenix and North Carolina, and his ardent support of our game strongly reflects the legacy of Kobe and Gigi. The league is proud to name Chris as the inaugural recipient of the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award, as he serves as a leader and role model for other professional athletes around growing the future of the game for young girls and all fans," said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. 

Paul was awarded for his ongoing demonstrations of support for the WNBA and girls youth basketball through camps and his CP3 Basketball Academy, which provides skill development, basketball education and leadership opportunities for young girls and boys. In addition, he used his platform to highlight the WNBA’s successes in their leadership in the community and their fight for social justice. 

The WNBA will make a donation to the academy and Mambacita Sports Foundation, a non-profit organization funded through the vision of Kobe and Gigi Bryant, dedicated to creating a positive impact for underserved athletes and boys and girls.