Prominent NBA reporter Taylor Rooks has disclosed how she helped raise $2.1 million to eliminate medical debt for approximately 1,805 residents in her home state of Georgia. The funds were secured through a philanthropic organization she established last year, Rooks explained to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday.
Personal Motivation Behind the Initiative
'I have seen firsthand how expensive simply staying healthy can be,' Rooks stated. She recalled her sister's experience with Type 1 diabetes while growing up in Suwanee, just north of Atlanta. 'Our family understands the ongoing financial weight that can come with medical care, prescriptions, supplies, and treatment,' Rooks added. 'Beyond my own family, I have seen how quickly one unexpected medical issue can completely change someone's financial reality.'
The Taylor Rooks Foundation was launched by the 33-year-old NBA on Prime Video host in June. The money was raised in partnership with Undue Medical Debt, a New York-based charity that leverages donations to purchase large, bundled medical debts at a discount, Rooks explained. 'Medical debt does not come from irresponsibility,' she told the Journal-Constitution. 'It comes from people trying to survive, take care of themselves, or take care of the people they love.'
Giving Back to Gwinnett County
Rooks began her studio coverage for Amazon in October, following successful stints with both CBS Sports and TNT. Her profile has since grown to the point where she felt compelled to give back. She recalled how people in Gwinnett County played a crucial role in her journey. 'It was important to me that one of the foundation's earliest major initiatives poured directly back into the community that poured so much into me first,' Rooks said.
Now based in Los Angeles, Rooks noted that she had lived in the Atlanta-adjacent county since the age of six. 'I went to elementary, middle, and high school in Gwinnett. Before college, it was the only home I had ever known. My family still lives there. It is where I learned who I was,' she added. 'There is a warmth to it. A sense of hospitality, community, and care for one another that stays with you forever. People show up for each other. Neighbors know each other.'
Future Philanthropic Focus
Rooks cited 'a human closeness that shaped the way I see the world' as how she wants her still-young foundation 'to operate.' Black and brown advancement, financial literacy, and women's wellness are other causes she plans to support, she said following the foundation's first donation over the summer. Rooks kicked things off with an unspecified gift to the Lower East Side Girls Club in New York City. The club aims to create 'safe' spaces 'where young people and their families can dream big, find their passions, and connect to peers and careers through free, innovative, year-round programming and mentoring,' according to its website.
Rooks was hired by Amazon Prime Video prior to the 2022 NFL season as a Thursday Night Football reporter before becoming an NBA presenter at the start of the 2025-2026 season. The broadcaster married her husband, Shane Lowry, at a star-studded ceremony in New York in July. Attendees included NFL star Saquon Barkley, NBA athlete Kevin Durant, and rapper Jack Harlow.
