Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Year: 2012

Tracy Murray

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2009  –  Mozambique
  • 2012  –  Greece

Tracy Murray, one of the most decorated basketball players in UCLA history, began as color analyst for the Bruins in 2008. He has served in that capacity for every UCLA basketball season except 2015-16, where he left to become a shooting coach with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Murray played at UCLA from 1990-92 before enjoying a 12-year NBA career. He currently ranks 10th on the program’s all-time scoring list, having recorded 1,792 points in 98 career games. He averaged 18.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while helping UCLA to three-straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including a Sweet 16 trip in 1990 and an Elite Eight trip in 1992.

Murray, who starred at nearby Glendora High School, was selected in the first round of the 1992 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs following his junior season with the Bruins. Through 12 NBA seasons, he played for the Portland Trailblazers, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers. He concluded his NBA career with averages of 9.0 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game in 659 total contests.

Sam Perkins

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2005  –  Algeria
  • 2008  –  Kyrgyzstan
  • 2008  –  Kazakhstan
  • 2009  –  Qatar
  • 2010  –  Indonesia
  • 2011  –  South Sudan
  • 2012  –  United Kingdom
  • 2022  –  Albania

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Perkins attended Samuel J. Tilden High School. He later attended and graduated from Shaker High School in Latham, New York. He was named large-school player of the year (high school) by the New York State Sportswriters Association in 1980 and was also named to the 35 Greatest Boys McDonald’s All Americans team.

Perkins attended college at the University of North Carolina and played basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1980 to 1984. He was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1981 and starred alongside future NBA Hall of Famers James Worthy and Michael Jordan on the Tar Heels’ 1982 NCAA championship team. A three-time All-American, Perkins was the 1984 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year. Perkins finished his collegiate basketball career as the Tar Heels’ all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots and as the second-highest scorer in team history. He graduated from UNC in 1984.

Perkins was a co-captain of the gold-medal-winning 1984 U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team.

Chosen by the Dallas Mavericks as the fourth overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft, Perkins went on to play as a power forward and center in the NBA from 1984 to 2001. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1985. Perkins played for the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Indiana Pacers, respectively. He scored a career-high 45 points on April 12, 1990. Perkins tied an NBA record on January 15, 1997 by making eight three-pointers without a miss. He appeared in three NBA Finals: The 1991 NBA Finals (with the Lakers), the 1996 NBA Finals (with the SuperSonics), and the 2000 NBA Finals (with the Pacers). In Game One of the 1991 NBA Finals, Perkins made a game-winning three-point shot to defeat the Chicago Bulls. He was known by the nicknames “Sleepy Sam”, “Big Smooth”, and “The Big Easy”.

Since his retirement in 2001, Perkins has been actively involved in a variety of charitable endeavors, including Special Olympics, Nothing But Nets in conjunction with the United Nations, Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers, Carolina for Kibera, NBA Cares, Basketball Without Borders and Habitat for Humanity.

In 2002, Perkins was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men’s basketball team as one of the fifty greatest players in Atlantic Coast Conference history.

In 2008, Perkins was named vice president of player relations for the Indiana Pacers. That September, he was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.

In October 2011, Perkins traveled to South Sudan as a SportsUnited Sports Envoy for the U.S. Department of State, where he worked with Hall of Fame NBA center Dikembe Mutombo to lead a series of basketball clinics and team building exercises with youths, the South Sudanese Wheelchair Basketball Team, and 36 coaches.

Perkins was named to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.

Rick Mahorn

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2012  –  Indonesia

Derrick Allen Mahorn, born September 21, 1958, in Hartford, CT, played college basketball at Hampton University. In 1980, he graduated from Hampton with a degree in Business Administration. From there, he was drafted 35th overall by the Washington Bullets in the 1980 NBA Draft. He went on to play five seasons for Washington before being traded to the Detroit Pistons.

Mahorn began playing for the Pistons at the start of the 1985-86 season and is most well-known for his years in Detroit. He and the “Bad Boys” took home the 1989 NBA Championship. As dubbed by Piston announcer George Blaha, Mahorn was the “Baddest Bad Boy of them all.” After being picked up by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1989 NBA Expansion Draft, Pistons’ General Manager, Jack McCloskey, tried in vain to trade to get him back. The Wolves wouldn’t have it, and Detroit lost one of its most beloved sports figures. Mahorn, however, did not last long in Minnesota, eventually finding his way to the Philadelphia 76ers and teaming with superstar Charles Barkley to form the top-rebounding duo of “Thump N’ Bump.” Rick later played for the New Jersey Nets before returning to the Pistons in 1996-97 season. He retired in 1999 as a Philadelphia 76er.

In the 1999-2000 season, he joined the CBA as head coach of the Rockford Lightening. He coached the team to the 2000 American Conference Title. He rejoined the NBA the following season as an assistant coach of the Atlanta Hawks. In 2005, he rejoined former teammate, Bill Laimbeer’s coaching staff as an assistant coach of the Detroit Shock. He helped coach the Shock to two WNBA Championships in 2006 and 2008. On June 15, 2009, during the WNBA season, Bill Laimbeer stepped down as coach and Mahorn was officially named head coach of the Shock.

Richard Cho

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2012  –  Burma

Richard Cho is an American baskebtall executive who is currently the Vice President of Basketball Strategy of the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA. Prior to which he was the general manager of the Portland Trailblazers, Charlotte Hornets, and assistant manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Cho was the first Asian American general manager in NBA history. I995, he was hired as an intern for the Seattle SuperSonics while finishing his law degree. Two years later, he earned his degree and was hired as the SuperSonics’ director of basketball affairs before being promoted to assistant general manager. During his time as the assistant general manager, the SuperSonics made it to the NBA playoffs twice.

When he left Seattle to manage Oklahoma City Thunder, Thunder utilized Cho’s background in law and mathematics when negotiating trades, free agent signings, and interpreting the NBA’s complex collective bargaining agreement. He returned to the Pacific Northwest in 2010 and remained there until 2019 when he was hired by Memphis.

Peja Stojakavic

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2012  –  Greece

Peja Stojaković was born in Serbia on June 9, 1977.
After playing for KK Crvena zvezda and PAOK BC basketball club, while playing Greece Stojaković was drafted fourteenth overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 1996 NBA Draft. He continued to play there until the Kings signed him prior to the 1998–99 NBA lockout season. After two seasons on the bench with Sacramento, he had a breakthrough season in 2000–01, averaging 20.4 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting .400 from three-point range in his first season as a starter. He finished second in voting for the 2001 Most Improved Player Award. In 2001–02, he played in the NBA All-Star Game for the first time. His scoring average went up to 21.2 ppg, and he reached career highs in shooting percentage (.484) and three-point percentage (.416). His scoring average dropped slightly to 19.2 ppg in 2002–03, but he played again in the All-Star Game. In both seasons, he won the three-point shooting contest conducted during All-Star Weekend. In 2003–04, Stojaković was again selected as an All-Star, and finished second in the league in scoring with a career-high 24.2 ppg. He finished fourth in MVP voting and was voted on to the All-NBA 2nd Team. He also led the NBA in free-throw percentage (.933) and three-pointers made for the season (240). In 2004–05, he missed 16 games to injury, and was somewhat hampered in several games, but still averaged 20.1 ppg.

In 2006, Peja was traded to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for forward Ron Artest, ending his eight-year tenure with the Kings. However, he missed four games of their first round playoff series with the New Jersey Nets, all losses. During the 2006 offseason, he re-signed with the Pacers, only to be traded to the then-New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. On November 14, 2006, Stojaković scored a career-high 42 points against the Charlotte Bobcats, and became the first player in NBA history to open the game with 20 straight points for his team. He was soon sidelined for several months by injuries, including back surgery, as a result missing most of the 2006–07 season. On November 20, 2010, Peja was traded to the Toronto Raptors. After appearing in only two games, Stojakovic was released by the Raptors. He had missed 26 games due to a left knee injury. Two days later he signed a deal with the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks won the NBA Championship that year, with Peja averaging 7.1 points per game during the Mavericks’ playoff run. He scored more than 20 points in two different playoff games for the Mavericks.

While playing for his home country, Peja led the Yugoslavian national team to gold medals in the 2001 EuroBasket and 2002 FIBA World Championship. Often considered to be one of the most successful Serbian basketball players, Peja was named the Euroscar European Basketball Player of the Year by the Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport and the Mister Europa European Player of the Year twice by the Italian sports magazine Superbasket.

On December 19, 2011, Peja announced his retirement from basketball, ending a great career for one of the league’s greatest international players.

Marty Conlon

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2011  –  Uzbekistan
  • 2011  –  Jordan
  • 2012  –  Burma
  • 2014  –  South Korea

As a manager of International Basketball Operations at the National Basketball Association (NBA), Martin Conlon conducts basketball grassroots events all over the world, organizing, coaching in, recruiting for, and creating curriculum for camps, clinics, or coaching seminars. He also maintains relationships with international basketball federations, clubs, and organizations.

Conlon has led the NBA Haier Academy camps in mainland China for the last three years, working in nine different cities and acting as the lead scout and championship coach of the reality TV show NBA Mengniu Basketball Disciple. In 2008, Conlon also led the first-ever “NBA Hoop School” program in India, working with local coaches in Bangalore, Mumbai, and New Delhi.

Prior to joining the NBA front office, Conlon enjoyed an extensive professional basketball career, most recently as the captain and player/coach of the Irish National Team. He played one season in Spain, another in Greece, and three in Italy. Conlon played in the NBA from 1991 to 1999, spending time on the rosters of Seattle, Charlotte, Milwaukee and Miami.

A member of the Westchester County Hall of Fame, Conlon is also a junior council member of New York’s Museum of Natural History, a junior board member of SEEDS (Sports for Education and Economic Development in Senegal) and a member of the Hawk Mountain conservancy.

As a player at Providence College – from which he holds a bachelor’s degree – Conlon played on the 1987 NCAA Final Four team. He returned to the tournament with Providence in 1989 and 1990.

Darvin Ham

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2011  –  Venezuela
  • 2012  –  Burma

Darvin Ham is a professional basketball coach that enjoys fulfillment of helping others. He founded Urban Youth Development in 2003 to bring about a critical change in his communities.

Darvin was born July 23, 1973 in Saginaw, Michigan.

Darvin was shot in a cross-fire one block away from his home at the age of 14, during his 9th grade year, while attending Central Junior High School. The bullet entered his jaw, and lodged in his neck, barely missing his spine by millimeters. No one was convicted for the shooting. Having gone through a life-threatening experience at such an early age, Darvin realized how precious life is and moreover, the terrible circumstances that have entrapped our young men.

Darvin attended Saginaw High School and played just 1 year, his senior year, during 1990-91. After making a verbal commitment to the United States Air Force, Darvin was persuaded by his brother DeRonnie to pursue an athletic scholarship through basketball and was granted a partial scholarship in the summer of 1991 to attend Otero Junior College in LaJunta, Colorado.

After playing the 1991-92 season at Otero, Darvin was voted an All-American and participated at the JUCO(junior college) Jamboree in Vincennes, Indiana during the summer of 1992. There he was discovered by Texas Tech University. He earned his Associate of Arts degree from Westark Community College in Fort Smith, Arkansas in July of 1993.

Darvin attended Texas Tech from 1993-96. During that time, he started all 90 games of his collegiate career. At Texas Tech, Darvin received the following accolades:
• Named to Southwestern Conference Defensive Team (1993-1994)
• Named by The Sporting News as the Southwest Conference “Most Underrated Player” before the 1995-96 season.
• Name second team All-SWC in 1995-96.
• One of four seniors to lead Texas Tech to the Sweet 16 after posting a 28-1 regular season record.
• Featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated after shattering the backboard during an upset victory over North Carolina in the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
• Finished the season ranked 9th in the nation with a 30-2 record.
• 1996 NCAA Slam Dunk Champion

Darvin’s NBA Bio:
• Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association.
• Finished 4th in the Nestle Crunch NBA Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend in 1997.
• Traded to the Indiana Pacers midway through his rookie season in February of 1997.
• Signed as a free agent with the Washington Wizards for the 1997-98 season.
• Signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1999, and played there until 2002.
• Signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks for the 2002-03 season.
• Signed as a free agent with the Detroit Pistons in 2003, and played there until 2005.
• Member of the 2003-04 NBA World Champions Detroit Pistons.
• Has appeared in 417 NBA games, with 45 starts.
• Has appeared in 55 playoff games, with 11 starts.
Broadcasting
• FOX Sports Network (FSN) Southwest NBA Analyst
• NBAtv Network Analyst
NBDL
• Drafted 3rd in the 2007-08 NBDL Draft by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds
• 2007-08 Member of the Southwest Division Champion Austin Toros
• 2008-09 Assistant Coach for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds

Coaches that I’ve played for have a combined 3,422 wins.
Bernie Bickerstaff- 414
Dick Motta-935
George Karl-879
Lon Kruger- 69
Terry Stotts-115
Larry Brown-1010

Darvin’s International Bio:
• Played in Granada, Spain during 1998-99 season.
• Featured guest of NIKE Swiss Camp in Zurich, Switzerland in 2002.
• Played in Manila, Philippines in 2006.
• Played in Coamo, Puerto Rico in 2006.
• For the past 8 years, annually oversees a Basketball Life Skills Camp in Bad Honnef, Germany.

Mr. Ham has a wife, Deneitra, of 11 years, 3 sons, Darvin Jr., 17, Donovan, 12 and Dominic,9. Thanks to the priceless examples set forth by his father and grandfather, both of whom are now deceased, Darvin was shown the importance of a strong, positive and influential male role model directly in the home.

His hobbies include fishing, playing dominoes, traveling, jet-skiing, working-out, working with young basketball players (AAU), and going out-to-eat with his wife and kids.

Charles “CJ” Watson

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2012  –  Senegal

2010-11 (Chicago): He appeared in all 82 regular season games (one start) and averaged 4.9 ppg, 2.3 apg, 1.1 rpg, 0.67 spg, 13.3 mpg and shot .371 from the field, .393 from behind the arc and .742 from the line … led the Bulls in scoring once and in assists three times … posted six games with 10-plus points scored, including one game with 33 points … finished with eight points, a team-high six assists and four boards in 18:30 against NJ (04/13) … scored 13 points and added four assists at MIN (03/30) … posted eight points, six assists and three boards at ATL (03/22) … tallied 11 points and seven assists versus SAC (03/21) … posted 16 points, eight assists and five boards versus UTH (03/12) … scored 14 points in 18:50 versus PHI (12/21) … in his lone start of the year at DEN (11/26), he posted a game-high 33 points … scored 13 points at DAL (11/19) … 2011 Playoffs: Played in 16 games and averaged 3.2 ppg, 1.9 apg, 0.9 rpg, 8.5 mpg, .339 shooting from the field, .200 from behind the arc and .909 from the line.

Career: Has appeared in 256 NBA games (34 starts) and owns career averages of 7.5 ppg, 2.4 apg, 1.9 rpg, 1.05 spg, 20.0 mpg and shot .437 from the field, .362 from behind the arc and .807 from the line … has appeared in 16 postseason games and averaged 3.2 ppg, 1.9 apg, 0.9 rpg, 8.5 mpg, .339 shooting from the field, .200 from behind the arc and .909 from the line … 2009-10 (Golden State): Appeared in 65 games (15 starts), and averaged 10.3 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.6 rpg and 1.58 spg … averaged career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals and minutes while shooting a career-high .468 from the field … made 15 starts, and posted 15.4 ppg, 4.7 apg, 3.8 rpg, and 2.13 spg in 38.8 mpg … scored a career-high 40 points versus SAC (02/17) … posted the highest assist-to-turnover ratio on the team with 2.5 assists per turnover … recorded multiple steals on 29 occasions, including a career-high seven thefts versus BOS (12/28) … scored 20-plus points in three straight games (02/16-02/19), the first time in his career he had accomplished this run … scored in double-figures 32 times, including 20-plus points seven times, and one game with 40 points … missed 14 games due to injury/illness (six games with fractured ribs, five games with the flu and four games with a laceration on his right hand) … registered two DNP-CDs … 2008-09 (Golden State): Appeared in 77 games (18 starts), and tallied 9.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 2.7 apg in 24.5 mpg … started 18 games and averaged 14.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 4.1 apg in 36.2 mpg … played 25-plus minutes in 36 games, where he averaged 13.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 3.8 apg in those contests … scored a then career-high 38 points and shot 16-of-16 from the free throw line in a win at UTH (04/11), marking the most points ever scored in an NBA game by a former D-League player … reached double-figures in scoring 35 times, with four games with 20-plus points and one contest with 30-plus points … two-plus steals 24 times … missed two games due to injury and one due to personal reasons … posted two DNP-CDs … 2007-08 (Golden State/Rio Grande Valley Vipers): Appeared in 32 games with Golden State, and posted 3.7 ppg, 1.1 apg, 1.0 rpg and 9.5 mpg … in five games where he received 20-plus minutes, he averaged 10.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.2 apg and 1.40 spg … reached double-figures in scoring four times … recorded 15 DNP-CDs … in 16 games with Rio Grande (NBDL), he averaged 26.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.3 apg and 1.38 spg in 38.1 mpg … he shot .506 (128-253 FG) from the field, .400 (18-45 3FGM) from three-point range and .899 (149-166 FT) from the free throw line … at the time of his call-up, he ranked third in the D-League in scoring, having scored 20-or-more points 14 times, with six 30-plus efforts and one 40-point performance, and he also ranked fifth in assists … he was named the NBA Development League Player of the Month for December … 2006-07 (Bipop-Carire Reggie Emilia, Italy A-1/PAOK Thessaloniki, Greek League): Spent the season in Europe, splitting time between Italy and Greece … while in Italy, he played 17 games for Bipop-Carire Reggie Emilia, and posted 8.5 ppg and 2.3 rpg … in five contests with PAOK Thessaloniki, he averaged 7.4 ppg and 2.2 apg.

Career Transactions: Went undrafted following his senior season at Tennessee in the 2006 NBA Draft … signed by Golden State as a free-agent call-up from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Developmental League (01/08/08) … re-signed by Golden State as a restricted free agent (09/09/09) … traded to Chicago from Golden State in exchange for a 2011 second round draft pick (07/22/10).

College Career: Played four seasons at the University of Tennessee … finished his collegiate career in Knoxville as the second all-time leader in assists (577), second in steals (198), sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.396), tied for eighth in three-point field goals (401) and 15th in scoring (1,424 points) … started 118 of his 119 career games … earned Second Team All-SEC honors from The Associated Press and the SEC coaches following his senior year … following his collegiate career, he was named to the Volunteers’ All-Century Basketball Team.
Personal: Full name is Charles Akeem Watson, Jr. … is the son of Charles and Cathy Watson … he has one brother, Kashif Watson, and one sister, Vonyetta Brooks … received the nickname C.J. from his father when he was a young child … was an active participant in the Warriors community relations efforts … he distributed free tickets to the team’s preseason games to fans at the City Center Bart Station … he teamed with Southwest Airlines to hold the C.J. Watson Essay Contest during the 2008-09 season, in which two fifth graders from W.P. Williams Elementary School in Watson’s hometown of Las Vegas were rewarded for their winning essays about an event in black history that they felt most changed or influenced America’s way of life with an all-expenses paid trip to Oakland to see a Warriors game … in previous seasons, he visited a local Boys & Girls Club, made an appearance at a session of Warriors Basketball Camp and took part in the Oracle Basketball Clinic at the Warriors Practice Facility … he has participated in Golden State’s Hoops For Hope program … he majored in psychology at Tennessee … he was a two-time Nevada state Player of the Year in high school and he led his high school to a pair of state championships … he attended the same high school as NBA guard Marcus Banks and NFL running back Steven Jackson … he enjoys reading, yoga, golf, bowling and playing Nintendo Wii in his spare time … he collects basketball cards and sneakers … he lists his parents and grandparents as the people he admires most … he is a fan of the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Yankees … he has a daughter, Ayanna Watson (born 10/05/07).

Joe Logan

Baseball

Served as envoy

  • 2008  –  Colombia
  • 2010  –  Taiwan
  • 2011  –  South Korea
  • 2011  –  Philippines
  • 2012  –  Ecuador
  • 2013  –  India
  • 2015  –  Lithuania

Joe Logan was All American pitcher for Florida Southern College when the Moccasins won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 1988. He had previously played for Chipola Junior College where he also won All American honors.

The Montréal Expos took him in the 28th round of the 1989 amateur draft. Joe played minor league ball in the Montréal Expos organization from 1989-1991, then played one year in the independent Northern League in 1993. He was 4-7 with a 2.88 ERA in his pro debut for the Jamestown Jammers to help them to the New York-Penn League title. He split 1990 between the Rockford Expos (10-2, 2.63) and West Palm Beach Expos (1-0, 1.88). Had he qualified, he would have been 5th in the Midwest League in ERA, just ahead of Pat Rapp. Back with West Palm Beach in 1991, he fell to 6-12, 3.18. In 1993, he was 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA for the Sioux Falls Canaries to finish with a 21-22, 3.13 record in pro ball.

After his Major League Baseball career ended, Joe was a minor league pitching coach for the Anaheim Angels from 1994-2000. Since 2002, Joe Logan has served as coach for the Orlando Reds AAU organization and he continues to work with collegiate and professional baseball players on a regular basis.

Barry Larkin

Baseball

Served as envoy

  • 2008  –  Colombia
  • 2010  –  Ecuador
  • 2011  –  India
  • 2012  –  Lithuania
  • 2013  –  South Africa
  • 2015  –  Taiwan

Barry Larkin a 19-year Major Leaguer, 12-time National League All-Star, 1995 N.L. Most Valuable Player and MLB Network studio analyst, spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Reds. Larkin served as Special Assistant to the General Manager for the Washington Nationals, specializing in player development and scouting. Larkin also participated in Major League Baseball’s efforts, led by Jim Lefebvre, to develop and train the Chinese National Baseball Team in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Larkin was selected by the Reds in the first round (fourth overall) in 1985 following a standout career at the University of Michigan. Larkin batted .353 in the 1990 World Series to help lead the Reds to a four-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics. He won three consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Awards from 1994-96. He earned 1995 N.L. MVP honors by hitting .319 with 15 home runs, 66 RBI and 51 stolen bases. In 1996, Larkin became the first Major League shortstop to join the 30-30 club when he hit 33 home runs and stole 36 bases. Larkin was named the Reds’ captain before the 1997 season.

Larkin batted .295, with 2,340 hits, 198 home runs, 960 RBI, 1,329 runs scored and 379 stolen bases. Baseball historian Bill James has called Larkin one of the greatest shortstops of all time, ranking him #6 all-time in his New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract.

In 1993 Larkin won the Roberto Clemente Award, Major League Baseball’s highest off-field honor, for his philanthropy. In 2008, Larkin released a charity wine called “Barry Larkin’s Merlot,” with 100% of his proceeds supporting Champions Sports Foundation.