NBA great Byron Scott will be the featured speaker at the 5^th Annual Awards Gala sponsored by the Concerned Black Men of Los Angeles (CBMLA). The event is set for Saturday, August 10, at 6:45 p.m., at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 6161 Centinela Ave., in Culver City.

The theme is “Building Champions Through Support and Encouragement.” As in past years, the program will recognize promising young men and women in the greater Los Angeles area.

Scott, a former coach and NBA star, won three world championships as part of the Lakers basketball team during the 1980s “Showtime” era. He also grew up in Inglewood and graduated from the city’s Morningside High School.  Scott later transitioned to coaching where he managed several NBA teams including the New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers.

According to Mark H. Anderson, CBMLA president, Scott is expected to provide uplifting words to the teen honorees as well as the youth in attendance who participate in CBMLA programs.

“We believe Byron Scott is the perfect role model to inspire our young people to achieve their best, which mirrors CBM’s efforts to assist at-risk young people of color with programs and resources to improve their social, emotional, academic and psychological development,” said Anderson.

“We also appreciate our mentors, volunteers and community partners that collaborate with us to provide quality services to youth ages 11-to-19-years-old and well will salute them, along with students, at this event,” he added.

CBMLA programs include Welcome to Manhood, a monthly workshop that features group discussions, team building exercises, and Q&A sessions with guest speakers; the Emerging Leaders Program where professional, college-educated men of color to serve as mentors to adolescents; and Welcome to Womanhood, which offers mentoring, life skills and leadership development for young girls. In addition, the group is part of the CBM CARES National Mentoring Initiative, which aims to improve academic and life outcomes for middle school students by presenting weekly workshops with CBM mentees at their schools during school hours.

Tickets for the event $100 and are available at cbmla.org.

This article originally appeared in The Los Angeles Sentinel.

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