Pump Foundation Gala 2026

When sports and entertainment heavyweights step into the room, there’s an energy you can only feel at the Beverly Hilton.

On Thursday night, August 20, 2026, the Annual Harold and Carole Pump Foundation Celebrity Dinner once again proved why it remains the premier gathering for purpose-driven stars, culture shifters and athletic royalty coming together for a cause bigger than the game itself.

At the absolute center of it all are twin brothers Dana and David Pump.

What started as a personal vow to honor their late parents (Harold, who lost his battle with cancer in 2000, and Carole, who passed in 2012) has grown into a powerhouse movement that has poured over $13.5 million into radiation oncology, women’s health centers and life-saving patient navigator programs.

Nobody connects the dots in sports, business and community philanthropy like the Pump brothers.

They turn a red carpet into an elite family reunion, leveraging decades of relationships to bring icons together under one roof to make real moves in the fight against cancer.

A Legacy of Relationship Building: The Pump Brothers’ Blueprint

Every year, the gala brings together a star-studded room, but the pulse of the evening always roots back to Dana and David’s relentless work ethic and commitment to their parents.

As David Pump reflected on the foundation’s origins to ScoopB.com: 

“Mom never worked. She took care of her boys. She installed a great foundation for me and Dana and talked about giving back… Dana and I have the ability to, as some people say, if we get people’s numbers, it’s hard to say no to us. And we’re asking people to help for a great cause.”

That unique ability to bring legendary figures together has been the driving force since day one. Reflecting on how basketball originally helped launch the foundation, David recalled its early roots:

“I mean, the early years we were really big on John Wooden, Denny Crum, Coach K… I’ll never forget our first year when we had the great Coach John R. Wooden. He went up there and spoke at the Bel-Air Beach Club, and I never envisioned it would grow into something like this. But if you start and build something, it’ll all come.”

That vision has transformed the annual event into an unmissable fixture on the Los Angeles calendar.

As David put it:

“We feel this is the big night in L.A., like an ESPYs; the Academy Awards in sports. To have Magic, Shaq, Wayne Gretzky, Barry Bonds, Darryl Strawberry, who’s a Crenshaw great… My parents are looking down and smiling. We’re just trying to do good work for the community.”

2026 Honorees: Celebrating Champions and Health Advocates

For the 26th annual staging, the Pump brothers put a heavy spotlight on local champions and dedicated philanthropists.

Leading the 2026 honorees were members of the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers (including manager Dave Roberts, alongside stars Mookie Betts, Will Smith, Miguel Rojas, Andy Pages and Kiké Hernández) who received Lifetime Achievement honors for their championship dominance and cultural impact in Southern California.

Joining the Dodgers on stage was acclaimed actor and philanthropist Anthony Anderson (black-ish), who was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his extensive health advocacy, including his diabetes awareness initiatives, community work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Los Angeles Mission.

From the silent and live auctions featuring rare memorabilia and exclusive VIP experiences to the star-studded red carpet featuring legends like Julius Erving and Sugar Ray Leonard, the night delivered energy from wall to wall. But as always, every dollar raised feeds directly into the foundation’s core mission: supporting the Carole Pump Women’s Center, the Harold and Carole Pump Department of Radiation Oncology and the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Cancer Center at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

What Dana and David Pump executed at the Beverly Hilton this year isn’t just a high-profile dinner; it’s the gold standard for how sports culture can drive tangible, life-saving impact. When you get the biggest names in sports, media and entertainment in one room for a single mission, it proves that the bond between athletics and philanthropy is unmatched. The Pump brothers continue to lead by example, turning an enduring family memory into a beacon of hope for cancer patients and families across Southern California.