Sacramento Kings Launch A Co-Ed Summer League For Local Youth

The Sacramento Kings, along with a partnership led by Build. Black. Coalition. and the Black Child Legacy Campaign, are introducing a co-ed youth summer basketball league in Sacramento starting June 2.

Co-Ed Youth Basketball League Launches This Summer to Connect Communities Across Sacramento » https://t.co/5kUsfNo30c pic.twitter.com/12W3McYTdn

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) May 22, 2018

The Kings and Queens Rise Co-Ed Basketball League (The League) is created to interrupt youth violence by providing local youth to engage in intercommunity sports. The goal is also to build a Youth Voices Forum For Healing, per ABC 10.

The summer league will provide a caring and positive environment for Sacramento youth through community building, sportsmanship and resources for health and safety.

The League is an element of the Sacramento Kings multi-year commitment with Build. Black. Coalition. – a group of Sacramento community leaders who organized to support transformational change for Black communities in the Sacramento area.

There will be 16 teams from eight Sacramento-area neighborhoods – Arden Arcade, Del Paso Heights/North Sacramento, Foothill Farms/North Highlands, Fruitridge/Stockton, Marina Vista, Meadowview, Oak Park, and Valley Hi, with two co-ed teams, 7th & 8th grade team and 9th & 10th grade team.

Weekly practices will create fun and safe environments for the young athletes to learn the fundamentals of basketball and serve as forums for workshops designed to address a variety of issues, such as mental health to conflict resolution along with positive social media use.

“Sport has the power to create profound change, extending beyond the court to impact fans, families, communities and institutions,” said Sacramento Kings Chairman and Owner Vivek Ranadivé. “Our hope is that this league will encourage an open dialogue to help our city grow stronger together.”

Luther Burbank High School will host the league-wide jamboree on June 2, where members from the Sacramento area are invited to attend.

The eight-week season will feature weekly tournaments hosted in different neighborhoods each Saturday, ending in a day-long tournament on July 28 at Golden 1 Center.

“Through basketball, we have an opportunity to bring neighborhoods together, create safe spaces to share information and discuss the issues that impact our communities,” said Sierra Health Foundation President and CEO Chet P. Hewitt.

For more information, visit BlackChildLegacy.org.

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