Kawhi Leonard just made a slam dunk off the court.
Along with the LA Clippers Foundation and nonprofit Baby2Baby, the forward announced on Tuesday that he’d be donating 1 million backpacks to every student in Moreno Valley Unified, Inglewood Unified and Los Angeles Unified School Districts for the new school year.
The good deed is an effort to relieve stress on low-income families across Southern California, a press release noted.
“Going to the NBA, this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be able to give back to my community,” said Leonard, who grew up in the Los Angeles area, during a press conference on Tuesday. “That’s why I’m so happy to be back home. I’m able to be hands-on in the community where I grew up and where it started for me.”
Leonard made the announcement at Cloverdale Elementary School in his former hometown of Moreno Valley and later visited another school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The Clippers player said his goal was to make a meaningful contribution “both on and off the court” this year.
“This felt like the right way to get started,” he said.
The player’s generous act comes on the heels of his NBA Finals win in June with the Toronto Raptors, for which he earned the title of Finals MVP. Several teams set off in hot pursuit of Leonard following the win and he signed a three-year deal with the Clippers, announced in July.