Minnesota Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng has received the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award in recognition of his dedication to provide sustainable programming and medical assistance to children and families in Senegal. This is the third year the NBA and Kaiser Permanente have presented the offseason award to an NBA player for his impactful work from the end of the regular season to the start of the following season.
Through the Gorgui Dieng Foundation and in partnership with Minnesota-based global health nonprofit MATTER, Dieng has created long-term, sustainable change in his native Senegal. Dieng has donated life-saving medical equipment and supplies to improve health care, built demonstration farms to support sustainable agriculture and better equip farmers, created access to nutritious food, and taught children leadership, problem-solving and fitness through basketball. This summer, Dieng sent 300,000 bags of vital IV fluid to Senegal, and later visited a neonatal hospital in Diamniadio that benefitted from his organization’s donations. He also hosted Regenerate Senegal, an agriculture conference for farmers and growers, at the Gorgui Dieng Center for Agricultural Excellence in Kébémer and served as a panelist at the NBA Africa Innovation Summit, discussing his journey as an entrepreneur and ways to inspire and educate local youth.
