The NBA season has been over for weeks for Lakers forward Metta World Peace, but on May 15, he still found himself mobbed by adoring fans after a game.
As he left a three-on-three tournament for charity in the Yeshiva Aharon Yaakov Ohr Eliyahu gym, the eccentric 2003-04 NBA Defensive Player of the Year took off his black tall tee and matching hat, handing both off to the horde of yarmulke-clad youngsters around him, and gently cleared a path to his car, which he entered shirtless and hatless before disappearing into the night.
Those weren’t his only contributions of the night. Thanks to World Peace’s participation — along with current Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson and past Laker greats Robert Horry and A.C. Green — the Hoops 4 Hope tournament benefiting Ateres Avigail was able to raise money in support of its mission to aid local Jewish families facing medical crises. (The total fundraising haul won’t be known for several weeks, a spokesman said.)
“Today is all about helping people,” Green said. “It’s good to see everyone out here caring for the financial needs of others.”
Ateres Avigail has more than 200 dedicated volunteers providing critical services, including preparing kosher meals, transportation to medical appointments, affordable medical equipment and access to consulting services of respected physicians from all over the country.
The organization’s director and lone employee, Rabbi Avraham Hirschman, said he found inspiration for the tournament — which was followed by a VIP gala — from his time studying in Jerusalem.
“I saw a similar type of tournament hosted by the Jerusalem municipality,” Hirschman said. “Since Los Angeles is such a basketball-crazed city, I thought something like this would work out.”
Thirty-two teams, made up of players from all walks of life, competed in the basketball tourney, which limited entries in order to keep it manageable for a one-day affair, Hirschman said. A minimum buy-in of $100 per team was set, with some teams fundraising more on their own.
The on-court action featured varying levels of play. As the tournament progressed into the later rounds, competition picked up noticeably: Tough shot-makers rained down threes from deep and several high-fliers hammered home dunks, much to the delight of friends, family and community members crowding the baseline for a better look.
Team Global took home the title, garnering the grand prize of Lakers courtside tickets to a regular season-game next season, valued at $7,000, as well as the opportunity to be coached by Green in a short game of three-on-three against World Peace, Clarkson and Horry.
Eric Rothman, play-by-play broadcaster for the Lakers’ D-League affiliate D-Fenders, was on hand to call the friendly, largely symbolic final showdown, pitting Team Global against the Laker squad.
Team Global got off to a hot start with a couple of early baskets courtesy of a wide-eyed JoJo Himmelman, one of the team’s stars. The Lakers, specifically World Peace, then ratcheted up the defense on Himmelman and company, and made some jumpers. The Lakers pulled out a victory, capped by Horry driving down the lane and slamming home a thunderous dunk that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Himmelman, 20, a former player at YULA Boys High School, gushed about taking on some of his idols.
“It was awesome, getting the chance to play against guys I grew up watching. It’s hard to put it into words,” Himmelman said after the game.
Steve Rechnitz, president of Ateres Avigail, took the reins of the organization 2 1/2 years ago after his wife, Avigail, the former president, died of cancer. (The organization, formerly called Ladies Bikur Cholim, was renamed for Avigail after her death.)
One of the few in attendance not requiring a neck strain to look in the eyes of NBA greats on hand, the 6-foot-6 Rechnitz basked in the day’s successful turnout.
“I’m just trying to build a legacy for my children,” Rechnitz said. “That’s what this is to me. It’s great to see so many getting involved.”
Rechnitz, a lifelong basketball fan, befriended Green after years of sitting courtside during the Lakers’ “Showtime” era. Getting the NBA’s pre-eminent iron man on board with the tournament was the first step, which then enabled Rechnitz to entice the event’s other special guests.
Rechnitz said he plans to make the event an annual occurrence, pointing to the success of Chai Lifeline’s annual charity bike ride as a viable template.
“We want to get this going on an even larger scale, get even more people out here,” Rechnitz said. “If you put in the effort, set the foundation, you can grow. That’s what we’re thinking, long term.”
“We want to make this the premier Jewish basketball event of Los Angeles,” Hirschman added.
Hirschman told the Journal that he has plans to hold next year’s tournament in UCLA’s John Wooden Center, a much larger venue, anticipating even wider interest. This year’s sponsors included UCLA Health, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the A.C. Green Youth Foundation.
Despite not having fundraising totals tallied, Hirschman said the tournament was a surefire success.
“We thought it was tremendous, from the standpoint of the level of competition to the diversity represented,” Hirschman said. “You had religious, nonreligious, Jewish, non-Jewish, people from all different parts of town. It was just beautiful.”
