Atlanta Hawks Wrap up Highly Successful 2024 Summer Camps

The 2024 Summer Camps were a huge success for the Hawks

Throughout the summer, the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Academy hosted their 2024 Jr. Hawks Summer Camps presented by adidas, impacting more than 750 youth. The camps were designed for children aged eight to 14, regardless of their skill level. The Hawks visited five different locations across Metro Atlanta throughout June and July, having one week designed exclusively for young female athletes, known as the Lady Ballers Summer Hoop Fest powered by Google Cloud. The five weeks of summer camps provided a fun, safe and inclusive setting for all young Hawks fans looking to develop their basketball skills.

“Over the summer, we hosted our annual Jr. Hawks Summer Camps presented by adidas for hundreds of campers, which in hand featured our Lady Ballers Summer Hoop Fest powered by Google Cloud,” said Chris Jacobs, Senior Director of Hawks Basketball Academy. “With these camps, we aim to provide a fun and memorable experience for every Jr. Hawks camper and help them gain life lessons such as teamwork, leadership, self-confidence, and collaboration.”

During the program, participants received professional instruction from Atlanta Hawks Youth Basketball Development Coaches, focusing on the enhancement of fundamental skills through group and individual skill training, along with five-on-five gameplay. Through training sessions and on-court activities, the Hawks Basketball Academy actively fostered the growth and advancement of the sport for players at all skill levels. Campers also had the chance to interact with and learn from current and former Hawks stars, including Kobe Bufkin and Joe Johnson.

From July 8-11, the Lady Ballers Summer Hoop Fest powered by Google Cloud took place, a camp designed exclusively for young female athletes. During this week, participants were taught fundamental basketball skills through group and individual skill instruction, along with five-on-five gameplay. In addition, the girls had the opportunity to participate in fun STEM activities, learning about the science behind a catapult basketball game, and were each gifted a swag bag, including Hawks and Google branded items and more.

“We at Google Cloud were thrilled to collaborate with the Hawks over the summer during Lady Ballers week, bringing together sports and education for all the young girls,” said Vice President of Server Operations at Google Cloud, Felica Coney. “With the Lady Ballers program, we wanted to construct a program that provided a unique blend of educational and athletic learning, giving girls valuable insights into STEM in sports.”

In addition, campers had the chance to interact with and learn from notable individuals within the Hawks and Google Cloud’s organization. This included special appearances made by Brittni Donaldson, assistant coach of the Hawks, and Hawks guard Garrison Mathews, who helped provide campers with valuable insights and inspiration. Lady Ballers week also featured a panel discussion comprised of speakers from both the Hawks and Google Cloud, who shared their career paths and emphasized the importance of STEM skills across various roles and industries.

The weekly camps took place daily on Mondays through Thursdays and those in attendance received a Hawks swag bag that included a full adidas uniform, basketball, sling bag, and water bottle, along with one ticket to an Atlanta Hawks game for the 2024-25 season. In addition, Hawks’ partner and personal injury attorney Ken Nugent provided scholarships for campers through the Score for Scholarships program. Approximately 50% of all Jr. Hawks summer campers received scholarship funding courtesy of Score for Scholarships initiative sponsored by Kenneth S. Nugent Attorneys at Law. Since the program began in 2017, Ken Nugent has donated over $180K to the Score for Scholarships initiative to more than 2,300 youth throughout Metro Atlanta.

Since 2015, the Hawks Basketball Academy has impacted more than 10,000 youth through their Summer Camps Program across six counties throughout Metro Atlanta.

To learn more about camp opportunities and other youth basketball programs with the Hawks, visit HawksBasketballAcademy.com