HONOLULU — Anuenue School staff and students stepped up to the podium and spoke to a packed classroom that included some special guests.
Per tradition for the language immersion school, the words were said in Hawaiian before they were repeated in English.
“I don’t know what they said as much as what I felt,” said retired Los Angeles Clippers guard Cuttino Mobley. “So, the feeling was amazing.”
A Clippers delegation, including three current players and two alumni, was on hand to bestow a new tech lab to the Hawaiian language immersion school in Palolo Valley on Friday afternoon. In a square room that appeared innocuous from the outside, there were rows of new tablets and gadgets, 3-D printers and wall-mounted televisions to go with new flooring and air conditioning.
[Note: See below for more photos of the Clippers' tech lab dedication to Anuenue School.]
It was the fifth time that the Clippers – one for each Hawaii training camp for the NBA franchise since 2017 – donated a tech lab to a Honolulu school.
The Clippers take on the Golden State Warriors in a sold-out 1 p.m. exhibition at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday, then continue their five-game preseason on the mainland.
Friday morning, “alumni ambassadors” Mobley and Craig Smith led a basketball clinic for about 400 Anuenue students at the school’s outdoor court that recently received a repave and new baskets from the Hawaii Department of Education. The Clippers assisted with new fencing around the court.
Mobley, Smith and Clippers staff worked with keiki by age group — the school covers kindergarten through high school — diverting them to four skill stations for shooting, passing, dribbling and defense.
“They were the life of the party,” Anuenue principal Baba Yim said.
In the afternoon, it was Mobley’s first time in Hawaii for a lab dedication, though he has worked with the franchise for many years since his retirement in 2009. For Smith, it was his third time, but this one was a little different.
“It was really beautiful to see how this school came out and really showed us love,” said Smith, a forward known as “The Rhino” who played for the Clippers from 2009-11. “They came out in like a harmony, what I like to say is a really cool frequency, and it was an emotional feeling that came over. We knew that it was going to be a really special day.”
Anuenue students sang performed with dancing, musical instruments, and singing in Hawaiian.
“The singing, and you had all the kids smiling around you, to me was next level,” Mobley, known in his playing days as “Cat,” said. “And to be able dialed in at a young age, to really be proud of your culture and your native land, to me is special.”
Yim led the traditional Hawaiian blessing of the room himself.
He recalled that he was off island when he got word that his school was selected for an upgrade.
“I was surprised and very happy,” he said. “I don’t know if at that time I knew the extent of what it actually meant. Once things got rolling, I was like, ‘wow, that’s a lot.’ We’re very grateful.”
Post player Kai Jones, a native of the Bahamas, spoke at the dedication on behalf of fellow Clippers players Cam Christie and Trentyn Flowers.
Hawaii Tourism Authority officials, including HTA board chair Mufi Hannemann, were on hand, as was Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker.
In the Clippers’ four previous training camps in Honolulu, they did tech lab donations to Stevenson Middle (2017), Jarrett Middle (2018), Princess Ruth Ke‘elikolani Middle (2019), and Washington Middle (2023).
Value of the donation this year was not disclosed but in the past they have ranged from $40,000 to $75,000.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.