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Cleveland, OH – The City of Cleveland will launch Hoops After Dark powered by the Cleveland Cavaliers, a six-week NBA-style basketball tournament and development program designed for men ages 18-26. The program is part of Mayor Justin Bibb’s comprehensive violence prevention strategy.

Tryouts for the eight-team league will take place on Monday, June 27th and Wednesday, June 29th at the Cudell and Zelma George Recreation Centers.&nbsp; Tournament action runs July 11th through August 19th.

“Public safety is our number one priority, and we are focused on creating opportunities for our residents to participate in a variety of programs providing intervention and education,” stated Mayor Justin M. Bibb.&nbsp; “We are excited to launch Hoops After Dark in the community and are so grateful to the Cavs for their ongoing support of our efforts to stop violence before it starts.”

This initiative has re-imagined the formerly successful midnight basketball program by using sports and wraparound services to create community, offer customized interventions and mitigate participation in crime.

Hoops After Dark powered by the Cleveland Cavaliers participants will be required to attend life skills workshops an hour before each game. The workshops include a variety of topics such as job readiness, financial literacy, gun safety and more. Participants will also be connected to services that support optimal wellness in the areas of emotional, social, spiritual, physical, environmental and occupational health. The basketball format will include NBA-style activities such as tryouts, a draft, a championship game and other celebratory events.

“The Hoops After Dark initiative to give young men in our community positive direction and opportunities to help them find the right path is the type of program we enthusiastically support,” said Cavaliers CEO Nic Barlage. “We are investing in the future of these men and in our city and neighborhoods.”

The six-week tournament action begins July 11th through August 19th with two games and practices held each week at the Cudell Recreation Center (1910 West Blvd.) and Zelma George Neighborhood Recreation Center (3155 MLK Jr. Dr.) Both rec centers have refurbished basketball courts courtesy of the Cavaliers. Games will be played on Monday and Wednesday nights with&nbsp; required personal development workshops beginning one hour prior to each game.

Tryouts to make the roster for one of the eight Hoops After Dark powered by the Cleveland Cavaliers&nbsp; teams will take place from 8:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. on Monday, June 27that the Cudell Neighborhood Recreation Center and on Wednesday, June 29th at the Zelma George Neighborhood Recreation Center.&nbsp; Transportation to these locations will be provided from six neighborhood recreation centers:

*Participants must arrive by 8:00 p.m. to take advantage of transportation opportunity.

For complete details about Hoops After Dark powered by the Cleveland Cavaliers, visit Cavs.com/hoopsafterdark.

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City of Cleveland Launches Hoops After Dark, Powered by the Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland NAACP, The Real Black Friday and Aramark, in partnership with the NBA and Hennessy, are proud to present Taste of Black Cleveland: The Food Showcase 4.0 on August 18th from 6:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. After very successful events in 2017, 2018 and 2020, the celebration makes its return with a new summer date after a short hiatus as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tickets are on sale NOW and available here.

All proceeds from the Taste of Black Cleveland will go back to the Black chefs/owners to cover costs to participate in the event, as well as benefit the Cleveland NAACP and The Cavaliers Community Foundation.

The much-anticipated event welcomes the top Black chefs/owners of local Cleveland restaurants, food trucks and catering businesses for a night of good eats and cultural celebration. Chefs will prepare their signature dishes for guests to sample and vote on with prizes awarded to the winning participants. Local Black mixologists and musicians will also provide drinks and entertainment for the night. The mixologists will be competing for the People’s Choice Drink of the Night presented by Hennessy.

The full experience is $85 and includes access to food and drink tasting from 20+ local Black chefs and six local Black mixologists. The ticket also includes a vote in the contest for top participants, the opportunity to win exclusive prizes and experiences, as well as a ticket to an upcoming Cavs game for the 2022-23 season.

A general admission ticket will also be available for $45 and includes buffet style appetizers from a selection of past Taste of Black Cleveland winners, a ticket to an upcoming Cavs game for the 2022-23 season and a chance to win a selection of prizes and exclusive experiences.

For a recap of the 2020 Taste of Black Cleveland, click HERE.

Additional details, including a listing of participants, will be announced closer to the date of the event.

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Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland NAACP, The Real Black Friday and Aramark Present: Taste of Black Cleveland: The Food Showcase 4.0

The Mindfulness Learning Space is a part of the NBA’s 75th Live, Learn or Play initiative to celebrate the league’s 75th season. The renovated space provides a safe and quiet area for community members to enjoy and furthers the mission to support the development and well-being of youth in Northeast Ohio.

Cavs Announcer Ahmaad Crump led a press conference in the resource center’s gymnasium, introducing local executives and government officials, including Cavs CEO Nic Barlage, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish, to all give remarks about the renovation.

Following the press conference, the executives participated in a ribbon cutting, marking the official opening of the space. The event concluded with a youth basketball clinic led by Cavs Youth Basketball coaches.

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Cavs and NBA Unveil Mindfulness Learning Space at Earle B. Turner Resource Center

The NBA today announced it will return to Greater Cleveland, the host of NBA All-Star 2022, to continue its work alongside the Cavaliers and local community organizations to provide programming and support that focus on youth, education, health and wellness, inclusion and economic empowerment.

Over the course of three days, the NBA and Cavaliers will partner on seven events, tipping off on Wednesday, June 15 and concluding on Friday, June 17.&nbsp; The celebrations and outreach will be highlighted by refurbished community spaces for youth with support from Kaiser Permanente, a historical marker commemorating the site of the 1967 Cleveland Summit, and programming to engage local youth, entrepreneurs, elected officials, and members of the LGBTQ+ and disability communities. &nbsp;NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo and NBA Cares Ambassador Jason Collins as well as WNBA and Cavaliers Legends will interact with young people and community leaders as part of the events and programs.

The programs and events will build on the NBA family’s support of Greater Cleveland and the HBCU Community as part of NBA All-Star 2022 in February, which included participation in Mayor Bibb’s citywide efforts to encourage vaccination, highlighting more than 100 diverse-owned businesses as part of the NBA All-Star Rewards Program, dedicating the 2,000th Live, Learn or Play Center at the Cudell Recreation Center and hosting the first-ever NBA HBCU Classic presented by AT&amp;T. &nbsp;In total, more than $3 million was contributed, including $450,000 raised for Team LeBron’s beneficiary, Kent State University Foundation’s “I Promise Scholars Support Fund” and $300,000 for Team Durant’s beneficiary, the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, during the All-Star Game.

Cavaliers NBA 75th Live, Learn or Play Legacy Project Unveil

In partnership with the NBA as part of the NBA 75th Live, Learn or Play initiative to celebrate the league’s 75th season, the Cavaliers, the City of Cleveland and Sherwin-Williams will unveil their newest Cavs Care Legacy Project, the Mindfulness Learning Space at Earle B. Turner Neighborhood Resource Center. &nbsp;The space provides a safe and quiet area for community members to enjoy and furthers the mission to support the development and well-being of youth in Northeast Ohio. &nbsp;The grand opening will include a press conference with local executives and government officials, followed by a ribbon cutting, as well as a youth basketball clinic led by Cavs Youth Basketball coaches.

The Jr. NBA will celebrate the conclusion of the Cavs Academy Camp – a multi-day youth basketball event teaching youth the fundamentals and values of the game – at Independence Field House.&nbsp; NBA and WNBA legends will engage the youth in skills and drills, competitions and camp awards. The Jr. NBA will also provide the opportunity for additional youth from the City of Cleveland Recreation Centers to attends the camp.

NBA All-Star FIT Celebration presented by Kaiser Permanente

Working in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, the NBA will renovate spaces at the Boys &amp;

Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio - King Kennedy Branch, including a new basketball court and wellness and education spaces. &nbsp;Former NBA and WNBA players will engage the youth club members in on-court clinics as well as educational and mindfulness activities that encourage total health.

National Basketball Social Justice Coalition Cleveland Summit Historical Marker Unveiling

In recognition of the 55th Anniversary of the 1967 Cleveland Summit and its lasting imprint on the history of athlete activism, the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition will partner with the Cavaliers and other local stakeholders to dedicate a new historical marker designed by youth designers from the Marcus Graham Project, a Cavaliers community partner and NBA Foundation grantee, at the original site of the Summit. Former Cleveland Brown and Summit participant, Walter Beach, as well as Coalition Executive Director Cadogan, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, City Council president Blaine Griffin, and youth designers from the Marcus Graham Project will be in attendance for the ceremony.

Adaptive Sports Wheelchair Basketball Clinic at Broadway Boys and Girls Club

The Jr. NBA and Cavs Youth Sports will host an adaptive sports basketball clinic focused on the fundamentals of the game for 50 youth from Empower Sports, Adaptive Sports Ohio, Achievement Centers for Children at the Broadway Boys and Girls Club. The clinic will consist of dribbling, passing, shooting and defense stations, fun competitions and games, as well as instruction on how to play wheelchair basketball.

Basketball Court Dedication and Community Conversation with Studio West 117 and LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland

On Friday, members of the NBA family will visit the Studio West 117 community center in

Cleveland and dedicate a new basketball facility and community space before engaging local LGBTQ youth and community members in candid conversations about inclusion and allyship.

In partnership with national nonprofit, Black Girl Ventures, the NBA Foundation will host a pitch competition where seven college-aged Black and Brown entrepreneurs from HBCUs will present their business concept for a chance to win capital. &nbsp;The entrepreneurs are part of BGV’s NextGen Program, a grantee of the NBA Foundation that seeks to create access to capital, capacity, and community for student entrepreneurs ranging from 18-24 years old. &nbsp;Members of the NBA family and local Cleveland business leaders will serve as judges for the competition, evaluating

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NBA Returns to Cleveland to Continue All-Star 2022 Celebrations, Community Outreach, and Social Impact

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Cleveland, OH – Congratulations are in order for the 10 graduating seniors from high schools across Northeast Ohio who will each be awarded a $2,000 college scholarship provided through the 2022 Cleveland Cavaliers and Huntington Scholarship program. This year’s recipients were honored at a pregame banquet and recognized during a halftime celebration of their achievement at the Cavs vs. 76ers game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Sunday, April 3.

The students were asked to submit a 500-word essay as part of the application process entitled, “What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned up to this point in your life and how do plan to apply that lesson going forward?”

In addition to their essay submission, criteria for receiving the Cavaliers/Huntington Scholarship is based on applicants performing a high level of service in their community, providing a high school transcript, ACT and/or SAT scores (if required by the accredited school the student plans to attend) and an appropriate letter of recommendation.

The Scholarship Application Committee reviewed more than 400 submissions from which 20 semi-finalists were selected by a panel of judges before awarding scholarships to the 10 finalists. The panel included members from the Cavaliers organization, Huntington and community leaders. This is the 31st year of the scholarship program created to assist high-achieving students as they pursue their post-secondary education.

“Huntington is proud to partner with the Cavs to help the next generation of leaders recognize their outstanding potential and take the first step toward achieving their dreams,” said Julie Tutkovics, Huntington’s chief marketing and communications officer. “In addition to changing the world around them for the better, these students have transformed their own lives by building skills for academic, career, and personal achievements. We congratulate these highly gifted, motivated scholars for their many accomplishments and wish them continued success as they pursue their higher education goals.”

“We are exceptionally proud of the Class of 2022 and our scholarship recipients for their focus to successfully navigate the challenges and changes our educational system faced due to the pandemic,” said Cavaliers CEO Len Komoroski.  “On behalf of the Cavaliers and Huntington, we congratulate them on their achievements and are pleased to support the next exciting chapter of their education.”

The 2022 Cavaliers/Huntington Scholarship recipients are:

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Cavaliers and Huntington Award Scholarships to 10 Northeast Ohio High School Students

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As part of the organization’s on-going commitment to education, the Cleveland Cavaliers are proud to recognize high scholastic achievement through the Straight “A” All-Stars program, presented by Westfield. Sharon Elementary School in Sharon Center and Hilltop Elementary School in Beachwood were named the 2019-20 Straight “A” All-Stars winning schools for the first and second grading periods, respectively.

In the 15th season of the program, the Cavs and Westfield recognized nearly 5,300 K-8 academic all-stars across Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit counties. All Straight “A” All-Stars received a personalized certificate and special prize.

Additionally, 600 students (300 each grading period) were randomly selected to receive two tickets to a Cavs home game and an official Straight “A” All-Stars t-shirt. Students from the first grading period cheered on the Cavs at the December 6th game against Orlando and the second grading period students attended the March 7th game against Denver.  At the games, students received a Straight “A” All-Stars “Big Star” and were invited to participate in a special photo opportunity with mascots Sir C.C. and Moondog, as well as members of the Scream Team and PowerHouse Dance Team, who congratulated students on their academic achievements. While they were at the game, the students were also recognized on the Humungotron in front of Cavs fans who applauded their hard work in the classroom.

In addition to the individual student recognitions, one school each grading period was recognized for their participation in the program. Sharon Elementary and Hilltop Elementary were this year’s chosen schools, with each receiving a $1,000 donation to be used toward their school’s needs.

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Schools in Sharon Center and Beachwood Named Straight “A” All-Stars Winning Schools for 2019-20

Education is one of the pillars of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ community efforts and as part of that, the organization recognizes exemplary teachers and students throughout Northeast Ohio. Each month during the regular season, the Cavs select one teacher and one student to receive the team’s Head of the Class and All-Star Kids awards, respectively.

Head of the Class recognizes teachers in Northeast Ohio that make a difference in their students’ lives both inside and outside of the classroom. April’s winner was Jenny Hatfield, a second grade teacher at Iowa-Maple School in Cleveland, where she creates a fun classroom environment that encourages students to be excited about learning! Students, fellow teachers and administers trust Ms. Hatfield and know they can come to her for help with anything!

Ms. Hatfield will receive a $500 donation to use towards her classroom needs.

All-Star Kids recognizes students who set a positive example for their peers. April’s winner was Nylah Charles, a fourth grader at Marion Seltzer School in Cleveland, where she is a shining light in her classroom. She is an extremely compassionate, caring and selfless young woman who always puts others first.

Nylah will also receive a pizza dinner for her and her family to enjoy at home.

Complete information on Head of the Class, All-Star Kids and the rest of the Cavs community programs can be found online at cavs.com/community.

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April Head of the Class and All-Star Kids Winners Announced

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Tune Into All for THE LAND on Saturday

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