WOODLAWN — This weekend, local basketball talent will shine at a free skills camp and tournament on the South Side, coinciding with the dedication of the hosting courts to the late NBA icon Kobe Bryant.
The event, named Park Jam, will take place from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday at the basketball courts in Jackson Park, located near the intersection of Hayes Drive and DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
Organized by the youth basketball nonprofit Operation Basketball, which was established in 2021, the day’s schedule includes:
– Youth basketball clinics with skills training led by coaches and professional players from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
– A court dedication ceremony from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
– A single-elimination basketball tournament from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
– A 3-point contest from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
– A dunk contest from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Participants in the 3-point and dunk contests can each win $300. In addition to basketball activities, Park Jam will offer school supply giveaways, free food and beverages from food trucks, music, and other festivities.
Attendance at the event is free; however, most spots in the basketball competitions are already filled, although some slots in the dunk contest remained available as of Thursday afternoon. Interested individuals can find more information and sign up for the dunk contest.
Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th) jokingly remarked about his participation, stating, “We’ll see if I still got a little game left.”
The courts will be formally dedicated to Kobe Bryant on Saturday, a date that holds significance as it is 8/24/24, reflecting Bryant’s jersey numbers—8 and 24—worn throughout his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. The basketball legend, along with his daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash in 2020.
The Jackson Park courts underwent renovations and reopened last November, thanks in part to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, named in honor of the late Bryants.
“I always thought [Bryant] was an amazing basketball player,” said Yancy. “I still call [Michael] Jordan the G.O.A.T., but Kobe, in the time that he played, was just as influential of a player.”