Former NBA player Kobe Bryant visited a Mamba League Youth Clinic—a collaboration between Nike, Bryant and Children’s Aid—at the Dunlevy Milbank Center in Harlem.
For the past two years, Mamba League has been teaching children in underserved Los Angeles communities the fun and fundamentals of basketball over the course of eight weeks, and the program is now expanding to New York City.
Bryant visited the Youth Clinic to celebrate the launch, surprise the participants, participate in a Q&A session, and provide some words of inspiration about his Mamba mentality and the importance of Mamba League.
The program empowers children to build important life skills and self-confidence while learning basketball fundamentals. Increasing female inclusion and participation in sports has been central to Mamba League’s mission. The program strives for coaches and players to be 50 percent women and girls, with coaches from the community who are trained in both basketball fundamentals and social-emotional skills ensuring equal playing time for everyone.