Chris Paul, NBA, baseball's Giants receive humanitarian awards

Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers was named Sports Humanitarian of the Year, while the San Francisco Giants won for Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year and the NBA received the League Humanitarian Leadership Award at Tuesday's festivities in Los Angeles.

The second annual Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards celebrated those who have used the power of sports to make a positive impact on society.

The event was hosted by Laila Ali.

Bank of America won the Corporate Community Impact Award.

Through his Chris Paul Family Foundation, the point guard has melded education, sports and community. He has helped open a newly refurbished Boys & Girls Club in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts, part of a $1 million commitment his foundation has made to Boys & Girls Clubs across the country.

Through the Giants' Junior Giants program, they have been helping to put an end to the cycle of violence in impoverished areas around the region. The program is designed to build life skills using the power of sports, and a parent survey found that 76 percent of participants were engaged in more physical activity, 64 percent read more, 89 percent said their confidence was improved and 86 percent knew what to say or do about bullying.

The NBA was honored with the first League Humanitarian Leadership Award for driving social impact. NBA Cares celebrated its 10th anniversary last year.

The Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award, which recognizes individuals who have taken risks and used an innovative approach to help the disadvantaged through the power of sports, was presented thrice -- to tennis legend Billie Jean King, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and the 2015 University of Missouri football team.

King has championed equal pay, opportunities for women and advocating Title IX. Kraft is empowering small nonprofit organizations across New England to make an even greater impact through an innovative and strategic philanthropic program. And the Tigers inspired social change when they threatened to boycott a game to help end a student hunger strike that was a response to race issues on University of Missouri campus.