For the first time since its inception in 2017, the Professional Basketball Combine will be held in California along with a PBC Celebrity Influencer Basketball Game, bringing with it an NBA All-Star Weekend type of vibe to the communities of Thousand Oaks and Calabasas from Sunday, May 19-22.
Valencia High School grad and three-year boys basketball varsity starter Jake Kelfer came up with the idea of giving 24 NBA hopefuls a secondary NBA draft combine opportunity to showcase their talents in front of NBA scouts and executives as well as G-League front office members in 2017.
“We have these guys participate in combine testing, on-court workouts, scrimmages as well as NBA team interviews,” Kelfer said. “We also have a PBC Prospect Development Program to help them educate themselves and prepare for the future, but the core of it is to provide them the opportunity to be seen and to have a chance to elevate their game and sign the first professional basketball contract.”
One of the most notable PBC attendees is Chicago Bulls guard Antonio Blakeney. The 2018 NBA G-League Rookie of the Year attended the event in 2017 and is one of nine players to sign a two-way contract with an NBA franchise.
Being held at IMG Academy in Florida for the past two years, Kelfer opted to move the event closer to his hometown of Santa Clarita to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks on May 21 and 22 in the hopes of attracting more interest in the Los Angeles market and added a celebrity influencer game.
“I asked myself what else we can do to enhance the event and kind of kick off the event,” Kelfer said. “That’s when I thought that we should have a celebrity influencer game for charity where we will be raising money for Pencils of Promise as well as inviting a bunch of local groups from the community to come out and attend the event.”
Partnering with Pencils of Promise, an organization that is dedicated to providing quality education across the globe, Kelfer and the PBC has the ultimate goal of raising $50,000 to build and dedicate to a school and the PBC Celebrity Influencer Game should help with that goal.
“It’s really just a way for us to bring the communities together, do something in the Southern California area and really just have a good time while raising money for charity to kickoff the rest of the PBC week,” Kelfer said.
The PBC Celebrity Influencer Game will feature over 20 celebrities and influencers in a basketball game, a dunk contest and a 3-point shootout with a portion of all profits going to Pencils for Promise.
The PBC Celebrity Influencer Game will be held at Calabasas High School on Sunday, May 19 from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets will begin at $20 for general admission and $100 for VIP.
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