Soho partnered with several supporting sponsors (Niantic, Gary Land Productions, JBL, and Mabi Tea) for a very special welcome dinner, a players’ lounge, panel discussions and working sessions that were part of a robust learning and development curriculum, all designed to help prepare these young athletes for the next chapter of their lives and to foster their personal and professional growth.

On the first night of the program, we welcomed players to the hotel and the beginning of the tournament with dinner. In an exciting event kickoff, players were greeted by members of the Morehouse Marching Band and members of the Divine 9 who helped set the tone for the rest of the week. During the dinner, panel discussions featured co-sponsors and partners of the program and included topics like, “Protecting Your Brand,” “Financial Responsibility,” and “The Power of NO.” After the dinner concluded, players were encouraged to hang out and watch the McDonald’s All-American Game.

The Players’ Lounge was created for the players to have a spot to hangout in between their games. Gary Land Productions set up an interactive photo booth experience within the lounge that encouraged players and teams to capture their best moves on camera. More than 90 percent of the program participants took advantage of that, with some hilarious results. There was, of course, an Xbox station and one of the event sponsors, Niantic, featured their new mobile device game, NBA All-Star.

In all, more than 100 high school athletes had a once-in-a-lifetime experience, thanks to Morehouse College, Gary Land Productions, Niantic, JBL, Mabi Tea, and the NBPA. And, of course, the Soho team, which oversaw all the details, to assure a slam dunk for NBPA.