James L. Nederlander, President of Broadway’s Nederlander Organization, has distinguished himself in two other areas—sports and philanthropy.

The co-owner of the New York Yankees through his family's Nederlander Organization is being honored among a group of iconic sports figures at the 31st Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner, run by The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, the fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, September 12 at The Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

Nederlander is receiving The Buoniconti Fund’s Outstanding Philanthropist Award, which will be presented by Gloria and Emilio Estefan, whose life story is chronicled on Broadway in On Your Feet! at the Nederlander Organization’s Marquis Theatre.

The cast of On Your Feet! is scheduled to perform live at the event, which will be emceed by NBC’s Nightly News anchor Lester Holt. More than 1,300 sports legends, celebrities, philanthropists, corporate leaders and other influential supporters are expected to attend.

The annual benefit, hosted by NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti and his son Marc, will honor Nederlander along with New York Yankees great and World Series Champion Mariano Rivera, seven-time tennis Major winner and fashion designer Venus Williams, NFL Hall of Fame running back from the New York Jets Curtis Martin, New York Knicks legend and NBA Hall of Famer Willis Reed, four-time IndyCar Series Champion Dario Franchitti, Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski, WNBA, NBA and FIBA Hall of Fame basketball great Cheryl Miller, and record-setting long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad.

Also receiving special tributes that night will be Golden Globe winner Christian Slater, who will receive The Buoniconti Fund Award; Mr. Las Vegas Wayne Newton, who will receive The Humanitarian Award; legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who will receive The Great American Icon Award; and Sports Legends event chairman Mark Dalton, who will receive the Christine E. Lynn Champion for a Cure Award.

The event benefits The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, the fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. The Miami Project, a designated Center of Excellence at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, is the world’s most comprehensive spinal cord injury research center.

“For more than 30 years, The Great Sports Legend Dinner has highlighted our incredible journey to raise funds and bring awareness to the ground-breaking, much-needed spinal cord injury research supporting our efforts to cure paralysis,” said NFL Hall of Famer and Founder of The Buoniconti Fund Nick Buoniconti. “We’re honored to have the generosity and participation of so many iconic athletes and heroes who join us in providing hope for those living with paralysis, so together we can stand up for those who can’t.”

Since its inception in 1985, the Great Sports Legends Dinner has honored more than 300 sports legends and honorees and has raised millions for The Miami Project's spinal cord injury research programs. The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, through the research efforts of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, is committed to finding a cure for paralysis resulting from spinal cord injury and to seeing millions worldwide walk again.

The event begins at 5:30 PM at The Waldorf Astoria, 301 Park Avenue, New York City. Tickets start at $850 per person and can be purchased by phone at (305)-243-4656 or online at thebuonicontifund.com/GSLD.