Gary Payton II brings smiles and confidence to young athletes at Warriors Basketball Academy

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — Established in 2000, the Warriors Basketball Academy in Oakland has become the largest camp program within the NBA. Boys and girls travel from all over the Bay Area – and some from even further – to attend the camps and clinics offered.

“My mom was searching on websites to find a good camp for me, and she stumbled upon this camp, so I traveled across the country to be here,” said camp participant Andrew.

The sessions are for kids of all skill levels and abilities, and they even get a chance to learn from professional basketball players. Warriors Guard Gary Payton II spent time with the group teaching them the fundamentals of the game. “I love interacting with kids, love giving back to this city, this town, and to the Warriors, to them for what they did for me, my career, and my journey,” he said.

It’s more than just about learning basketball skills though, “There’s tons of life lessons that they learn through the game of basketball. You know, myself and the staff included, the game has meant so much to us. It’s taught us communication, it’s taught us teamwork, how to overcome challenges, how to work together, how to battle adversity,” said Vice President of the Warriors Basketball Academy, Jeff Addiego.

Gary Payton II, also known as GP2, said the sport builds confidence which helps the kids outside of the program, “Once they leave here, they take it into the real world and be confident, you know, about whatever they do in life, school, and whatever they get into.”

“I’m having a really fun time. GP2 is here so it’s kind of hard not to have fun. He’s a really nice guy,” said camp participant Izzy.

In addition to the 100+ camps offered throughout the year, the Academy also has year-round programming through the Oakland facility. “We don’t want to deny any kid that wants to attend our program the opportunity to come in here and experience our coaching experience in this facility. If there’s a way for us to get somebody in the door that wants to be here, we’re going to do everything we can to make it happen,” said Addiego.

For more information on the Warriors Basketball Academy, visit this page.