The Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation held their annual charity golf tournament at The Riviera Country Club on March 31st. With strong support from corporate sponsors that included Rusnak Auto Group, Korbel Champagne, Anschutz Entertainment Group and the Hilton Family of Hotels, over $100,000 was raised for the Foundation.

Golfers were treated to a sunny Southern California afternoon at the world renowned Riviera Country Club which was in terrific condition as it recently hosted the PGA Tour’s Northern Trust Open in February. After an official greeting by the Laker Girls, sponsors had the opportunity to play golf alongside Lakers Legends James Worthy, Rick Fox and Norm Nixon, sports stars Rogie Vachon, Luc Robitaille and Bret Saberhagen and Hollywood stars Don Cheadle and Jerry Ferrara.

After golf, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the entire Lakers team attended the cocktail reception and gala dinner. Hosted by Lakers broadcaster Joel Meyers, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Head Coach Phil Jackson addressed the audience and reminisced about some of their fondest Lakers memories to commemorate the team’s 60th anniversary.

As a result of the live auction, which featured a custom made purple and gold Lakers golf cart, trips to Europe and Lakers’ floor seats; the silent auction which featured memorabilia, jewelry and vacation packages, over $100,000 was raised for the Lakers Youth Foundation.

Janie Drexel, Executive Director of The Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation said, “The event was a great success. The corporate sponsors really enjoyed interacting with the Lakers players and we were thrilled the entire team came out to support the Foundation.”

The Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation’s goal is to assist nonprofit community organizations based on need. With the Foundation’s focus on the use of sports to promote education, teamwork and self-esteem among Los Angeles area youth, the fundraising directly supports these initiatives by providing financial assistance to children and local youth programs.