Press release
4KB
aprile 18, 2017 - Nike
With a little help from Kobe Bryant, la’s new mamba league gives kids a fresh perspective on basketball
Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale.
On an early evening in March, the Venice Boys & Girls Club gym is buzzing. Little girls of all shapes and sizes are running up and down the basketball court, implementing the passing drills and defensive techniques their coaches are communicating to them from the sidelines. While the atmosphere should feel competitive — one team will go home with a victory — strangely, it doesn’t. Rather, the Lil Cheetahs and Lil Swooshes, including their parents on the bleachers, are cheering each other on because on this court they’re all winners.
This matchup is part of the #mambaleague, a new program led by #kobebryant in partnership with #nike and the Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles. The league, which ran for eight weeks from February through mid April, was created to inspire girls and boys to learn basketball fundamentals and to build self-assuredness through an active, healthy lifestyle.
“This is more than just a #competition,” says Bryant, who surprised the players by showing up to watch the Mamba Challenge tournament on April 15. “The league is about empowering players and coaches and seeing kids increase their self-confidence as young leaders both on and off the court.”
The league comprises 40 coaches and 288 players
For its inaugural season, the #mambaleague covered four underserved communities in LA county where early positive experiences in #sport are needed most: Nickerson Gardens in Watts, Whittier, West San Gabriel Valley/Monterey Park and Venice.
The Mamba League’s 40 coaches, all volunteer and drawn from local #nike stores as part the #nike Community Ambassador Program and Boys & Girls Club staff, place an emphasis on mentorship. Through a hybrid program from USA Basketball and Up2Us, coaches were trained to communicate the fundamentals of the #sport and to build meaningful relationships with participants. This combination of community and collaboration is a hallmark of Kobe’s vision for the league, and it extends to how the players are encouraged to work together.
“This environment of collaboration and communication helped to turn the more skilled players into assistant coaches during practice,” explains Ashley Indick, one of the #mambaleague coaches. “For example, when we know a player is good at defense, we encourage them to think about how they can trickle those skills down to their teammates.”
In effort to proactively encourage girls to participate, female coaches guide the all-girls teams. “Being with their friends and having female coaches inspired more girls to give it a chance,” shares Sean Mulligan of the Venice Boys & Girls Club. That strategy was a strong one, as girls make up 45 percent of the 288-strong #mambaleague player rosters.
“I’m usually the only girl playing with all the boys...so I got excited to play with other girls,” confirms one of the league’s young athletes, Noelle Romero, 8. “The more we play, the more we get to learn different skills, not just in basketball, but that could help us with other things.”
This is just one example of how the league empowers through #sport. On the court, there is also high inflection on fun and accessibility. Rims are lowered (to nine feet), and the court is scaled down to inspire confidence in the young hoopers — directives straight from Bryant, who didn’t play on a regulation hoop until he was 12.
The inaugural #mambaleague concluded April 15 with the Mamba Challenge tournament. It will expand across more sites in 2018.
Learn more about why Kobe wanted to start the league and his insights about learning the fundamentals of basketball here.
FL 2660 NOELLE 68579
4612x3107, 8MB
FL 3260 SAVANNAH 68581
4257x3276, 7MB
FL 3467 NICKERSON 68580
4214x2346, 6MB
FL 4000 68578
4563x2832, 7MB
FL 4605 68577
5184x3456, 11MB
image6 68854
2395x1906, 3MB
Kobe-Bryant-Mamba-League 68858
2499x1406, 2MB
mamba-league-04 68576
4423x3696, 9MB
News correlate |
||
|
|
|
marzo 25, 2022
|
febbraio 08, 2018
|
agosto 29, 2017
|
|
Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. What to Know:In #partnership with #vanessabryant, Nike's relationship with... |
Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. As #kobebryant settles into his first year of retirement, his relentless f... |
Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. At first thought, #kobebryant and #kyrieirving have little in common with ... |
Scarica tutto 
Ti potrebbe interessare anche |
||
|
|
|
aprile 08, 2017
|
marzo 30, 2017
|
febbraio 12, 2017
|
|
Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. This KOBE A.D. DeRozan PE is inspired by DeMar DeRozan's memory of watchin... |
Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. Kobe Bryant is obsessed with figuring out how to give athletes an advantag... |
Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. Nike has a long history of speaking up for causes that reflect its values.... |
Inglese 
Scarica tutto 
Condividi
Condividi via mail 
Automotive
Sport
Events
Art&Culture
Design
Fashion&Beauty
Food&Hospitality
Tecnologia
Nautica
Racing
Excellence
Corporate
OffBeat
Green
Gift
Pop
Heritage
Entertainment
Health & Wellness