SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings are preparing for a busy week at Golden 1 Center when the California Classic returns for its second year. From Monday, July 1 to Wednesday, July 3, Sacramento will host a summer exhibition featuring this year's NBA Draft picks and other young players from the Kings, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Miami Heat. In addition to three days of NBA double-headers, fans can look forward to family-friendly activities and live performances from music artists T-Pain and Jay Sean on the Downtown Commons Plaza. According to the Sacramento Kings, the California Classic brought more than 50,000 attendees to Golden 1 Center during its inaugural run last summer.
Today the Sacramento Kings announced another exciting element to next week's California Classic: a mentoring event for local kids led by Kings legend Chris Webber. Before Monday's exhibition games, the Kings and the Build.Black. Coalition will host local kids from the Kings and Queens Rise Co-Ed Basketball League for a career development session where they will have the opportunity to interact with and receive career advice from Webber himself. With help from members of the Kings and the Sierra Health Foundation staff, several local kids will create vision boards for their futures in the workforce with encouragement from one of the most beloved players in franchise history. Last summer, NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas hosted a similar event for 200 local kids ahead of the California Classic.
"The Kings are the model for how sports teams can be agents for change in their communities and I'm thrilled to be a part of this productive, inspiring and exciting day," Chris Webber said in a statement provided by the Sacramento Kings. "As a father, I know how important it is that we give our youth the resources and confidence to achieve their dreams. That's why I'm eager to help these young people plan their careers and futures during the California Classic tournament."
To close out the California Classic on July 3, the Kings will also announce winners of the Team Up For Change scholarship funding benefiting Sacramento-area youth pursuing training in law enforcement and higher education. A total of 50 scholarships in the amount of $1,000 will be awarded to students entering the Academy or college this fall thanks to the Sacramento Police Foundation Criminal Justice Magnet School Academy and Sierra Health Foundation. Scholarship recipients will be recognized in-game on July 3.
Webber, whose No. 4 jersey hangs from the rafters at Golden 1 Center, spent most of his NBA career in Sacramento from 1998-2005. In February, Webber was named a finalist for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for a third consecutive season. Though Webber was not selected this year, his former Kings teammate and team General Manager Vlade Divac headlined the 2019 Hall of Fame class. Webber, a five-time NBA All-Star who is now an NBA analyst on TNT, has visited Sacramento several times since his retirement in 2009. Last September, the 45-year-old delivered a powerful speech to students at Sacramento State where he addressed the fallout after his infamous time out call as a member of Michigan's "Fab 5" during the 1993 NCAA National Championship.
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