GRAFTON, Ohio — The Cleveland Cavaliers partnered with the REPRESENT JUSTICE Campaign and Prison Fellowship to host a round-table discussion and basketball game with players, coaches and front office staff at Grafton Correctional Institution in Lorain County on Friday.
Andre Drummond, Darius Garland, Cedi Osman, Dante Exum, Collin Sexton and Dylan Windler were joined by General Manager Koby Altman, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, assistant coach Lindsay Gottlieb, the coaching staff and members of the business front office, including CEO Len Komoroski.
The Cavs organization was part of a discussion with inmates and members of the REPRESENT JUSTICE Campaign and Prison Fellowship Academy.
The REPRESENT JUSTICE Campaign uses stories of hope and redemption to encourage a fair legal system and end extreme sentences. Prison Fellowship is the nation’s largest outreach program for prisoners, former prisoners and their families. The group aims to help rehabilitate inmates and former prisoners to end the cycle of crime and incarceration.
After the round-table discussion, two team—each a mix of Cavs coaches and incarcerated men—took the court for a basketball game coached by Bickerstaff and Gottlieb.
Cavs players were on the sidelines, calling plays and timeouts and challenging calls.
The game, which was attended by facility residents and their visiting family members, even had entertainment provided by the Scream Team and 216 Stix.
At the end of the game, after sharing life experiences and going head-to-head on the hardwood, the groups all came together on the court and ended the unique experience with a collective chant of “Let’s Go Cavs!”
