Lace It Up for Charity

Former LA Lakers Guard Jordan Clarkson Hosts Four-on-Four Tournament at Pali High

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Sounds of balls bouncing and nets swishing reverberated through the Palisades High gym, where former Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson hosted the second annual “Lace It Up for Charity” 4-on-4 Half-Court Basketball Tournament last Saturday.

A total of 32 teams, each one consisting of five current or former pro, college and prep athletes, participated in a bracket draw, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the Sweet 16. Games were up to 28 points or 15 minutes in length.

“Any team LeBron is on will be a contender,” said Clarkson, who in February was traded from LA to Cleveland, where he joined superstar LeBron James on a Cavaliers squad that reached the NBA Finals. On July 9 James signed a four-year, $154-million contract with the Lakers.

“LeBron’s awesome—one of the best guys I’ve been around,” Clarkson added. “It’ll be cool to see how they put that team together. I started my career with the Lakers and spend time here in the offseason, but I’m excited about this opportunity in Cleveland. We have a lot of good young players.”

Proceeds from the event went to Team Gleason (a national organization benefiting those afflicted with ALS) and Clarkson’s own nonprofit JC Cares Foundation to support organizations in the ongoing fight to cure cancer. Clarkson’s father was diagnosed in January 2014 with a Stage 4 cancerous tumor. He survived with the support of agencies fighting the disease.

Maybe the most recognizable face belonged to former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens, whose team was hailed the “Avengers.” Leading his “Rainmakers” squad to the Elite Eight was Ron Artest III, son of former Pali High girls assistant coach and ex-Lakers forward Metta World Peace. Artest III recorded five double-doubles while helping the Dolphins to 15 wins and the No. 1 seed in the LA City Section Division I playoffs as a sophomore in 2014-15 before transferring to Beverly Hills.

“I heard about this and formed a team with guys from my gym,” Artest III said. “I wasn’t all that good when I played at Pali but all of the hard work has paid off.”

The final pitted “LA Hoopz”  against the “I Can All-Stars,” who took home the trophy with a 28-4 win. The victors consisted of pros overseas Eric Williams (32), Vince Camper (31) and Krys Faber (28), Jamie Harper, who played Division I at UC Riverside, and fellow 24-year-old Chris Camper, who played for Pacific Union College in Napa Valley.