A group of young basketball players found themselves tackling Mission: Impossible star Ving Rhames when the American actor paid a surprise visit.
The Hollywood star, who is in London filming the latest blockbuster in the series Mission: Impossible 5, spent several hours coaching youngsters from Newham All Star Sports Academy at Rokeby School in Canning Town on Saturday.
Ving praised the players for their skills and commitment to basketball. He also met Anthony Okereafor, the creator of the ‘Carry A Basketball Not A Blade’ (CABNAB) project.
The Hollywood star promised to return to Newham in November for a friendly tournament with NASSA players. The tournament will be dedicated to CABNAB and six young lives that have been lost in the borough as a result of knife crime in the past 12 months.
Natasha Hart, NASSA director, said: “It was really great to have the support from Mr Rhames and good to see the NASSA players demonstrate so much passion in their game. They were focused and maintained a consistent level of play during the games.”
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