Murray • It’s not every day a teenager gets to work closely with an NBA legend. But that’s exactly the opportunity JJ Mandaquit got earlier this month.
Mandaquit helped Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and others choose the NBA’s Social Justice Champion Award, which is named after the Los Angeles Lakers legend who won six titles and six MVP awards in his career. Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns received the accolade.
Mandaquit said the lesson he took from the experience was growing comfortable stepping out of his comfort zone and learning new things.
“I think everyone kind of just lives on the surface level and doesn’t really dig deeper into stuff,” Mandaquit said.
Mandaquit is a junior at Utah Prep, a high-level basketball academy formerly known as RSL Academy. This school year, he participated in the Jr. NBA Court of Leaders, a program for highly recruited boys’ and girls’ basketball players who are also working to positively impact their communities.
Mandaquit, who moved to Utah from Hawaii nearly three years ago, organized a free youth basketball camp in his home state to inspire the next generation of players. It was through his involvement with the Court of Leaders that he got the chance to vote for the social justice award.
“They know that, being from Hawaii, I’m really passionate about social justice,” Mandaquit said. “So this opportunity came about and they asked if I wanted to be a part of it. To me, it was a no-brainer.”
The cause Mandaquit cares about centers on opportunities for young people in Hawaii, he said.
“I think that’s something that I’m very passionate about,” Mandaquit said. “Just making sure that the kids have the opportunity to do what they want to do.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) JJ Mandaquit at Mount Vernon Academy in Murray, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.
Mandaquit, Abdul-Jabbar and a few others were tasked with bestowing the honor to one of five NBA players: Towns, Miami Heat center-forward Bam Adebayo, New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Lindy Waters III and Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook. The group then met on Zoom to deliberate.
Mandaquit said he was the lone young person on the selection committee. That came with nervousness, he said. But one moment will always stay with him, and it involved Abdul-Jabbar.
“I had to introduce myself at the beginning just because everyone else has been on the board before,” Mandaquit said. “I was the only new person. He actually shouted me out and made me feel really welcomed. ... It was really comforting.”
Mandaquit said Abdul-Jabbar “called me out by name” and thanked him for being on the committee.
“It was just crazy,” Mandaquit said of the shoutout. “It was just really surreal, to be honest, just because he’s Kareem. Everyone knows Kareem. He’s a legend of the sport. Obviously, he’s had a huge impact outside of the game and off the court as well. So it was special.”
Mandaquit is a four-star recruit, per ESPN and 24/7 Sports. He has offers to play in college by nearly two dozen schools, including Utah and BYU.
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