CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A new program launched by a former Chicago Bulls basketball player is tackling youth violence prevention through basketball.
The idea to use the popular sport as a means to address youth violence originally came from young people in the city.
Cobe Williams is a co-founder of "One City" Basketball League, along with former chicago Bulls player Joakim Noah.
"The youth started saying 'man, yo, I think if we played basketball, I think this could help bring the violence down,' so a lot of this came from the community with people sharing with us what they think would be good for the city," he said.
Williams also said the league, which features 28 teams of youth, ages 16 to 25, will collaborate with community organizations to equip players with tools to mediate and address violence.
"We're just gonna give skills to educate them on building relationships, identity, we want to talk about trauma-informed care and different things like that."
The league's first game is on May 20, with a final championship game on August 25.
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