Kristaps Porzingis’ block party in Los Angeles earned big bucks for the NY Rens AAU program.
The Knicks forward had a career-high tying seven blocks in the Knicks’ 118-112 victory over the Lakers on Sunday night, meaning he generated $3,500 for the Rens, a not-for-profit youth basketball program that played on the Nike EYBL circuit. Porzingis promised to donate $500 for each of his blocked shots for the season to the Rens.
The Rens will use the donations from the “KrisStops” campaign for the Ben Jobe Educational and Scholarship Fund. It will help provide Rens participants with free tutoring, SAT prep and tuition money for students in third to eighth grades.
Jobe, the Knicks’ 83-year-old scout, won more than 530 games as a coach at seven black colleges and universities.
The Rens will actually get $7,000 from Porzingis’ Sunday block party because New York City developer and Knicks season ticket holder Keith Rubenstein announced that he will also donate $500 for each Porzingis block.
For the season, Porzingis now has 45 stuffs. His arrangement with the Rens went into effect as of Nov. 20, so he has raised $15,500 on 31 blocks since then. Including Rubenstein, that amounts to $31,000 total so far.
“Kristaps is playing like an NBA All-Star and all of the Rens players are cheering for him every night,” said Rens coach Andy Borman.
The Rens this summer featured Hamidou Diallo, who is considering college or the NBA in 2017, Jordan Nwora (Louisville), Jose Alvarado (Georgia Tech) and Jordan Tucker (uncommitted).
The program has also produced current Arizona freshman Rawle Alkins of Brooklyn and current Auburn freshman Mustapha Heron of Waterbury, Conn., whose team meets Boston College on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
Photo: USA Today SportsWhat a great feeling to see smiles on all those kids faces today.. Lets block some shots now! ??? #KrisStops pic.twitter.com/rVW9E77Yti
— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) November 19, 2016
