Basketball fans around the island got a chance to see some of the top players in the world go up against some of the top local talent over the weekend as the Jeff Rodgers Summer Basketball Camp staged its annual Family Fun Night, highlighted by the Celebrity All-Star game, at Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium. In the celebrity game, the camp’s instructors went up against visiting players and coaches from the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Basketball Association Development League (NBA D-League) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and other guests of the camp.

This year’s celebrity squad was headed by NBA champions Klay Thompson and Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, Eric Gordon of the New Orleans Pelicans, Jordan Clarkson of the Los Angeles Lakers and Mychel Thompson Jr. of the Santa Cruz Warriors, the champions of the NBA D-League. The local team featured pros including Tehran Cox and Jaraun “Keno” Burrows, along with other instructors of the camp such as Eugene Bain, Marcellus Hall and Gibran Smith.

The game went back and fourth for most of the contest, with highlight plays coming from both sides, but eventually the visiting team was able to pull away down the stretch to take the game, 114-110.

Green, who was recently invited to be a part of Team USA’s training camp this summer, said that he was thrilled with the way he and his teammates were greeted by fans in and around the gymnasium, and that he was slightly overwhelmed by the support he received during his time on the island.

“It was just great to come out here and play for these fans,” he said. “They get a chance to watch us on television but never in person,” he said. “It’s really an honor to be here.”

Mychel, who recently became a Bahamian citizen, said that he was happy for the opportunity to play in front of his home crowd.

“The reception over the past week has been great,” he said. “To come out here and put on a show for all of these fans, it’s amazing and nothing beats coming home, so it was really a special night. I’m just happy to be here and happy the fans enjoyed it.”

Rodgers said that he was proud of the way things turned out this year and that he was happy that he could still provide an arena for the younger players to come out and improve their games.

“The camp was great. Camp time is very exciting for me. I’m happy about what we were able to do this year and what we have done for over two decades,” said Rodgers. “We are so thankful to be able to reach this far and to still have the impact we have at 28 years. I really appreciate the time these guys take out to talk to the different groups, talk about their life experiences and the messages they deliver — staying in school, staying out of trouble and staying off of drugs. These are the same things I have been saying for not only the last four weeks, but for 28 years. The kids were so excited and it is always a great experience for them to have the guys over.”

Corporate partners for this year’s camp included the South Bahamas Conference of Seventh Day Adventists, Bahamas Business Solutions, Scotiabank Bahamas Ltd., the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), J.S. Johnson, Bahamas First, Colina, Bamboo Shack, Caribbean Bottling Company, Chelsea’s Choice and Jewel’s Party Supplies.