(photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Department of Rec and Parks)

The Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) and the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles (YMCA) teamed up Friday to tip-off the 16th annual Jr. Clippers program, which featured a record 24,000 youth participants.Clipper players Josh Smith and Luc Mbah a Moute joined representatives from RAP and the YMCA for the ceremonial jersey distribution at the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies at 5931 West 18th St.The Jr. Clippers program works exclusively with inner city children ages 5-14 to promote the fundamentals of basketball, sportsmanship and athletics as an alternative to negative influences. The centers and branches selected to participate in the Jr. Clippers program are all from underserved communities in Los Angeles.The Jr. Clippers program started with 750 participants 15 years ago from three recreation centers in RAP. In 2016, funding from the L.A. Clippers Foundation significantly extended the reach of the program for a record-high of 24,000 youth basketball players.