PHOTOS: Kobe Bryant Hosts Harlem Youth Basketball Clinic

HARLEM, NY — NBA legend Kobe Bryant appeared in Harlem Thursday to attend one of his youth basketball clinics at the Dunlevy Milbank Center on West 118th Street.

Bryant started the Mamba League Youth Clinic with Nike to help kids from low-income families stay active, according to a press release. After two years running Mamba League clinics in Los Angeles, Bryant is bringing the concept to New York City by partnering with the nonprofit Children's Aid, which runs programs at the Dunlevy Millbank Center.

Increasing participation of girls in sports is one of the Mamba League's key initiative. The league employs an equal number of men and women coaches and clinic participants are also equal number girls and boys.

"I started Mamba League to help kids develop basketball skills and life skills," Bryant said in a statement. "Our line for the league is ‘play, learn, and grow.’ This is really important to me and reflects what I want to share with the young athletes about my own journey—that through playing the game of basketball across courts in New York City, I learned not just about the game, but about myself and others, and through that process you grow, as an athlete and as a person."

Bryant played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers, racking up numerous personal awards and five NBA championships, but says he also has a personal connection with New York City's basketball scene. He previously sponsored Harlem's Rice High School team and has played numerous times at the neighborhood's world-famous street ball venue Rucker Park.

See photos from Bryant's appearance in Harlem below:

All photos courtesy Marcel Severino (We Are Victory)