All-Star Game Delivers Thousands Of Dollars To Chicago Students
CHICAGO (CBS)-- It was an NBA All-Star weekend to remember in Chicago and the game was also a victory for Chicago school kids.
Two Chicago youth organizations were handpicked by team captains LeBron James and Giannis Antekounmpo.
Not only were students given great seats at the game, but the players competed on their behalf, trying to win up to $500,000 to put towards their futures.
$500K!
— Eric Cox (@EricCoxTV) February 17, 2020
The amount being put towards futures of Chicago students thanks to the #NBAllStarGame.
2 youth organizations were handpicked to not only attend the game, but watch players compete for their charities in a new format for the event.@cbschicago: https://t.co/3nyEyepobM pic.twitter.com/fV4AqmLmxV
The students of Chicago Scholars, a program that helps low-income students get to and through college, could hardly contain their excitement.
When team LeBron won, so did they.
Last night's victory secured $400,000 for their organization.
Chicago's own Anthony Davis hit the game winning free throw.
After school matters
Although their team didn't win, students from After School Matters still walked away with $100,000 for their organization.
This year, the All-Star game tried out a new format.
Instead of the four-quarter formula, the game was broken down with $100,000 on the line for the charities every quarter.
And an extra $100,000 was awarded to the first team to tack on 24 points in the final minutes, a tribute to the late Kobe Bryant.
The league hopes the new format will impact thousands of students over time.