Leading up to Veterans Day, 100 U.S. military service members laced up their shoes and stepped onto the hardwood at Crypto.com Arena. The annual Hoops for Troops program hosted by Pechanga Resort Casino and the Los Angeles Lakers Nov. 8 and 10 offered basketball clinics for active service members ahead of Lakers games. Lakers Legends Michael Cooper, Derek Fisher, Robert Horry and James Worthy joined the clinics to lead the basketball skills clinics.

Servicemen and women got to put their military work aside and team up with Lakers Legends on shooting, dribbling, passing and defensive skills as they enjoyed friendly competition. Service member families were invited to watch from the stands. All participating military received t-shirts, meal vouchers and four tickets to that evening’s Lakers game. This year’s military members were from the March Air Reserve Base near Moreno Valley and the Los Angeles Air Force Base.

“Service members do amazing work for our communities every day and we are honored to play a small role in recognizing and honoring their work,” said Los Angeles Lakers Director of Community Relations Mathew Makovec. “We are proud to support our regional military members and hope they enjoyed a great day on the court.”

“The Hoops for Troops program sets aside a few days every year to make sure these incredible men and women can at least for a short time leave behind the rigors they face and come together to share stories, high fives and good laughs,” said Ken Perez, President of the Pechanga Development Corporation. “We see their big smiles when they’re on the court with each other and the Lakers Legends and we know they appreciate this gesture of support for their service and sacrifices. We salute our service members.”

The Lakers and Pechanga Resort Casino created the Hoops for Troops program in 2015 to recognize and honor military members for their service. Hoops for Troops is also a year-round initiative led by the NBA to honor active and retired service members and their families in collaboration with organizations serving active military members and veterans.

The Lakers hosted Veterans Night, presented by Pechanga Resort Casino, Nov. 10 when the team defeated the Toronto Raptors at Crypto.com Arena. Fans in attendance received Lakers and Pechanga Resort Casino camo hats.

Learn more about Hoops for Troops at https://www.nba.com/lakers/community/hoops-for-troops.