Phoenix Suns guard and 75th Anniversary Team member Chris Paul won the first-ever Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award for his contributions and support for girls and women’s basketball.
Vanessa Bryant will present the award to Paul at the All-Star game Sunday night in Cleveland.
It’s a night of mixed emotions for Paul who will only play briefly in the game after it was announced he had suffered a right thumb avulsion fracture and will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks per Shams Charania.
Paul sustained the injury during the third quarter of Phoenix’s win over Houston Wednesday.
The 36-year-old has attended WNBA games and purchased 500 tickets to dole out to fans for a Phoenix Mercury playoff game last season.
He also supports girls’ hoops through camps and the CP3 Basketball Academy.
“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,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, per NBA.com. “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.”
The WNBA will also make a donation to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.
Bryant was a longtime supporter of women’s basketball.
He and his daughter Gigi died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020.
Paul is averaging 14.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 10.7 assists in his 17th season in the NBA.
The Suns are 48-10 with the best record in the league.
