2016 Nike Skills Academy (PHOTOS)

The Hawthorne Municipal Airport served as the main stage for the 2016 Nike Skills Academy this past week. Formerly known as the LeBron James Skills Academy, this new version of the Academy was brought into existence last year by simply integrating the previous separate skills academy for guards, wings and bigs into one cumulative experience. After being held at a local airport hangar in Santa Monica last year, the intimate showcase, which hosted tens of NBA scouts, returned to LA this summer, this time just a few miles south of last year’s location. Once again held at an airport hangar, Nike hooked up the space into a state-of-the art facility with three full-size Swoosh-customized courts. Among the NBA players under the Nike umbrella that stopped by to hang out, train, or run scrimmages with the campers were LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Tristan Thompson, Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon, Stanley Johnson, Devin Booker, D’Angelo Russell, Tyler Ulis, Isaiah Thomas and Jordan Clarkson, among others. Even retired players like Rasheed Wallace spent all three days helping train the game’s future. Check out the photo gallery above to relive the action from this past week’s Nike Skills Academy.