Israeli pro basketball player hosting back-to-school event

Spots are still available for a free back-to-school event being hosted this weekend by Israeli professional basketball player and Philadelphian Jared Armstrong.

Participants will have the opportunity to hone their basketball skills and receive backpacks, school supplies and swag at no cost, Armstrong said.

The clinic is open to children entering first through eighth grades and will be held from noon to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18, at the Kaiserman JCC, located near City and Haverford avenues in Wynnewood.

Registration is required, and Armstrong said his team has the capacity to handle eight to 10 more kids, as of Wednesday. For more information or to sign up, go to jabcamp.com.

Two former college players and retired pros – Bilal Benn and Rashan Bellinger, both Philadelphia natives – will serve as trainers for the clinic, according to Armstrong. Reebok is sponsoring the event.

“I think this is our first of many,” Armstrong told Metro. “We’re just looking to keep building camaraderie and use basketball to bridge gaps and create peace among communities.”

Armstrong, 28, has been behind a variety of basketball-related initiatives aimed at combating the rise of antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism, particularly amid the rise in hate that has accompanied the war in Gaza.

In June, he hosted a weeklong camp for 80 youth at the Kaiserman JCC that combined basketball drills with sessions about prejudice, discrimination and other topics. He spends offseasons in Philadelphia, having split time growing up between the city and Maryland.

Armstrong recently signed with an Israeli team based in southern city of Eilat, and he plans to make the journey back to the country on Wednesday.