In partnership with the Los Angeles Lakers and LA’s BEST After School Enrichment Program, Spectrum SportsNet hosted students from Stoner Avenue Elementary and Grand View Boulevard for an instructional basketball clinic and day of also learning off the court.
Held at the Lakers’ state-of-the-art UCLA Health Training Center, SportsNet analysts and hosts, Caron Butler, Mike Bresnahan, Chris McGee, James Worthy and coaches organized drills for the 50 students and taught fundamentals, including ball-handling and shooting.
There was also a speaking portion at the end of the clinic, which provided the young children an opportunity to pick the brains of the former athletes and sports media professionals.
“We were able to speak to them about life issues, answer some of their questions about life and what it takes to move forward, some of their fears and anxieties and how to handle that,” Worthy told LakersNation.com
“It was a really good opportunity to engage with kids, kind of give them hope and bring them into an environment they might not get to be in.”
There were also light-hearted moments, one of which was when Worthy and a young child gathered around center court to do Worthy’s now-famous slow clap that he regularly demonstrates during SportsNet’s postgame programming to celebrate a Lakers win.
The clinic built off a successful event that was held last year at the Spectrum SportsNet studios, and is further example of the network’s initiative to connect with the community beyond providing exclusive television content.
Spectrum recently housed a group of students from Loyola Marymount University to provide them with insight and advice on carving out a career in sports media.