Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Park District Superintendent Michael Kelly recently announced a new partnership with Nike that will offer new, free basketball skills clinics known as CHI LEAGUE PARKS in neighborhood parks across the city, including the West Side.
The idea is to give young Chicagoans a safe, healthy place to play this summer. The free basketball skills clinics are running every Saturday through Aug. 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
CHI LEAGUE PARKS will offer free, age-appropriate basketball skills clinics at parks that are already hosting the Windy City Hoops program.
Windy City Hoops offers basketball year-round to boys and girls ages 13-18 on Fridays from 7 to 10 p.m. and Saturdays from 5 to 10 p.m.
Nike will complement the summer basketball clinics with visits from professional players and other role models in sports-related fields.
The Chicago Park District will host the clinics at various parks, accommodating 100 to 150 kids each week during an eight-week session. Individuals can register by visiting the parks in-person and selecting a 9- to 13-year-old or 14- to 18-year-old grouping:
Here are the remaining dates, with the West Side parks in bold:
July 13 – Columbus Park
July 20 – Garfield Park
July 27 – Loyola Park
Aug. 3 – Franklin Park
Aug. 10 – Amundsen Park
Nike’s basketball opportunities this summer also include the nine-week CHI LEAGUE, an elite-level, pro-am Nike and Jordan Brand league featuring 10 teams, made up of the best Chicagoland amateur, college and professional players.
The open, public games will be held every Saturday and Sunday at Whitney Young High School, with free admission and parking.