The Washington Wizards announced today that a new team award will be named after Dr. Edwin Bancroft (E.B.) Henderson. The annual award will go to the Wizards player most philanthropically active in the Washington, D.C. community.
FROM THE WIZARDS:
Known as the “Grandfather of Black Basketball” in Washington, D.C., Dr. Henderson was a sports historian, educator, administrator, coach, athlete, and civil rights activist. He wrote over 3,000 letters to the editor for The Washington Post and other newspapers on civil rights and race relations.
The University of the District of Columbia recently honored Dr. Henderson by renaming its athletics facility as the Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson Sports Complex. To help kickstart the public fundraising efforts, Ted Leonsis, through the Leonsis Foundation, Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Washington Wizards, donated $200,000 to the fund which will support capital upgrades to the sports complex, student scholarships and sports camps for youth.
