Co-Ed Youth Basketball League Launches This Summer to Connect Communities Across Sacramento

Source: Sacramento Kings

League Formed by Build.Black. Coalition, Black Child Legacy Campaign, Sacramento Kings to Create Positive Change in Sacramento

8 Week Season Ends with Tournament at Golden 1 Center

Sacramento, Calif. – Through a partnership led by the Build.Black. Coalition, with support from the Black Child Legacy Campaign and the Sacramento Kings, a new youth summer basketball league will launch on June 2 in Sacramento. The Kings and Queens Rise Co-Ed Basketball League seeks to interrupt violence by providing an opportunity for young people to engage in intercommunity sports. Building on the highly-successful Kings and Queens Rise: A Youth Voices Forum for Healing, this league will provide a caring and positive environment for Sacramento youth through community building, sportsmanship, and resources for health and safety.

The Kings and Queens Rise Co-Ed League (The League) is an element of the Sacramento Kings multi-year commitment with the Build. Black.Coalition – a group of Sacramento community leaders organized to support transformational change for Black communities in Sacramento.

“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.”

“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.

The League will be comprised of 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 – 7^th & 8^th grade team and 9^th & 10^th grade team – representing each neighborhood.

The League will tip-off with a league-wide jamboree at Luther Burbank High School on June 2, where members from all communities are invited to join players and their families. The eight-week season will feature weekly tournaments hosted in a different neighborhood each Saturday, culminating in a day-long tournament on July 28 at Golden 1 Center.

Weekly practices will provide a fun and safe environment for young athletes to learn fundamental basketball, as well as serve as forums for valuable workshops designed to address a variety of topics from mental health to conflict resolution to responsible social media use. 

Through the Sacramento Kings Foundation, The League players will be will be invited to attend a youth forum on July 2, preceding the California Classic –  the Sacramento Kings Summer League, to discuss issues that are impacting their community, as well as to see the NBA’s future stars during the summer games.

For more information, visit BlackChildLegacy.org.