City, Clippers to Hold Hoop Skills Contest

The Los Angeles Clippers, McDonald’s and Sprite are teaming up with the Los Angeles City Recreation and Parks Department to offer a free basketball skills contest at parks throughout the Valley on Saturday.

The McDonald’s NBA 2Ball Tournament includes separate age categories for boys and girls between 9 and 11, 12 and 14, and 15 and 17. Varsity basketball players are ineligible to compete, organizers said.

Saturday’s events will be the first round in what is a national competition. Winners will advance to a regional final and then to a city final, which will be held Feb. 28 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena during halftime of the Clippers-Toronto Raptors game. The national finals will take place in June during the NBA Finals.

The game is played with a two-player team. Each team has one minute to score as many points as possible from six different shooting spots on the court. The two players alternate shots with each shooting spot worth a different point value depending on the difficulty.

Twelve Valley recreation centers will host Saturday’s tournaments: Hubert Humphrey, Fernangeles, Chatsworth (south), Lanark, North Hollywood, Sepulveda, Stonehurst, Tarzana, Valley Plaza, Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks, Victory/Vineland and Woodland Hills.

The scheduled starting time at each location is 10 a.m. Organizers suggest that participants arrive early. A parent signature is required for participation.

Interested youth can sign up at any Los Angeles city recreation center ahead of time or at one of the participating centers on the day of the event.

For more information, call any of the parks or the Clippers Community Relations Department, (213) 745-0400.