The young Los Angeles Lakers core traded in sitting back and relaxing on NFL Football Sunday for some team bonding at the 2016 Power 106 Celebrity All-Star Basketball Game at the USC Galen Center over the weekend. Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell stood on the sidelines as opposing coaches for this year’s event, which benefitted Homeboy Industries. Clarkson and Russell had a little coaching help from their fellow Lakers in attendance, including Brandon Ingram, Tarik Black, and Zach Auguste.
“The atmosphere is great, every year has been amazing,” Russell said after his second year attending the event. “The fans here are always die hard Lakers fans and there are a lot of celebrities out here that are Laker fans too, so you can just feel the love all at once.”
For the third year in a row, Clarkson’s squad (Team Ballaz) led by Chris Brown, came out on top, beating Team Playaz, 97-91.
“To be honest with you, Chris (Brown) is coaching the team, so he’s kind of like the Kobe (Bryant) on our squad, doing everything for us,” Clarkson laughed at halftime. “To have all these people come here and show love for the great cause, it’s awesome. Everybody is having a good time and enjoying it.”
Although it was Clarkson’s team that took home the bragging rights, Homeboy Industries took home 100 percent of the net proceeds, providing hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated men and women allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of the community. Check out our video above for an inside look into what the Lakers young core did on their day off.