Two Sacramento High Schoolers Are Changing the Game with a Free Basketball Camp

Not every kid gets a shot at elite basketball coaching. Some families can’t afford the steep price tags that come with specialized training camps, no matter how hungry their kids are to improve. That reality stuck with Alexander De Leon and Mason Traore, two high school basketball players and social media influencers who decided to do something about it.

The pair have engineered a completely free Elite Basketball Camp for fourth through eighth graders this Saturday, May 23, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Destiny Christian Academy. The catch? There is none. De Leon and Traore spent considerable time securing sponsors who believed in the mission enough to donate everything—from custom apparel to prizes to professional videography.

The sponsorships came together through an unlikely advantage: their social media following. Local brands like Step Back Three, A Gecko, and Next Up Athletes saw the value in partnering with two young athletes who could authentically promote their businesses while doing genuine community work. It’s a win-win setup that De Leon and Traore were refreshingly candid about. They’re not hiding the transactional side of the partnership—they’re just being smart about it. The sponsors get exposure; Sacramento kids get world-class coaching for nothing.

What makes this camp particularly meaningful is the mentorship angle. De Leon specifically mentioned wanting younger players to see not just skilled athletes, but role models who demonstrate how basketball should be played—both on the court and off it, with attitude and integrity intact. That’s the real value proposition here: a chance for fourth through eighth graders to be around people who genuinely care about their development as players and as people.

Getting registered is simple. Head to Alexander De Leon’s Instagram handle @simply_alexander_3 or @simply_alexander_0, click the link in his bio, and you’re in. No fees, no barriers, just a Saturday morning that could genuinely shift a young hooper’s trajectory. In a city where access often depends on family income, that’s not a small thing.