Ali Sports Humanitarian Award finalists include Doug Baldwin, John Cena, Kevin Durant, J.J. Watt
Doug Baldwin of the Seattle Seahawks, John Cena of the WWE, Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors and J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans are the finalists for the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award, which will be announced July 17 at a ceremony in Los Angeles.
The Ali award is part of the fourth annual Sports Humanitarian Awards, which will take place at The Novo at L.A. Live the night before the ESPYS. The awards, televised on July 24 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, honor athletes, teams and sports industry professionals who use the power of sport to make a difference in the world.
The awards are presented by ESPN and sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.
The Anaheim Ducks, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Fire Soccer Club and U.S. Women's National Hockey Team are the finalists for the Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year.
Hospital for Special Surgery, Under Armour, UNIQLO and Voya Financial are the finalists for the Corporate Community Impact Award.
Basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson and the U.S. Department of State Global Sports Mentoring Program are the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award honorees. The League Humanitarian Leadership Award will also be announced at the ceremony.
A variety of sports leagues nominated athletes, teams and corporations for the honors. An independent selection committee made the finalist selections and determines the winners.
Multiple sports leagues and/or governing bodies -- including MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL, USTA, WNBA and WWE, as well as the Women's Sports Foundation -- nominated athletes, teams and corporations who are transforming lives and uplifting communities.
The finalists and winners have been determined by an independent selection committee, which includes: Nick Keller, Founder and President of Beyond Sport; Donald Lassere, CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center; Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, CEO of Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA; Sab Singh, Founder of Sports Doing Good; Caryl Stern, CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF; and Eli Wolff, Director of the Power of Sport Lab and the Sport and Society Initiative at Brown University.
Net proceeds of the event benefit the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund at the V Foundation. Last year, more than $2 million was donated to the community on behalf of the Sports Humanitarian Awards. ESPN will also make a donation on behalf of the nominees. Lilly Oncology is returning as an event sponsor.