RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Standing in the halls of Martin Luther King High School, Tim Sweeney looks back on the memories of coaching NBA superstar, Kawhi Leonard, when he was a student at the school in Riverside.

“What I remember is this gym being filled with 2,550 fans every game,” Sweeney said.

Those fans packed the house to see Leonard lead King to back to back championships in 2008 and 2009. Sweeney says he remembers the Clippers player’s first practice on the same court he stands on today.

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“Everybody laughed at me. I told everybody around this school. I told media. I told coaches throughout the year, his junior year ‘he’s going to be an NBA all-star,” Sweeney said.

Leonard became an NBA all-star who has now returned home. But he is still mysterious to many fans even in the age of social media. Sweeney was one of the only ones who was able to get inside of Leonard’s head.

“It was a different relationship. We talked,” Sweeney said. “Really wasn’t as much in this setting, maybe just walking around after practice. He communicates trust me. He’s a very bright individual, a very smart man.”

Now he is happy the world is getting to see Leonard as a fun guy.

Today, Sweeney is no longer coaching, but always has advice for the next generation of ballers, including for the young ladies who are currently on King’s girls’ basketball team. They are proud to play on the same floor, where a two-time NBA champion once dominated.

“To play here. To play on the same court as him is such an honor. Especially as far he’s gone. Now he’s back in L.A. It’s like even bigger now. It’s pretty cool,” said Alexis Mead one of the young basketball players.

Sweeney isn’t surprised at all at Leonard’s homecoming.

“I think it’s always meant a lot to him to represent where he came from,” Sweeney said.

Including this gym, where Leonard’s handprint still looms large.

As students are dreaming of making it to the Clippers at Martin Luther King High School, dawning purple and gold is also a dream for many kids in Los Angeles. It is a dream that came true for Rashaun Fairley thanks to an event at the union rescue mission through the Lakers Youth Foundation.

It is not quite the tunnel at the Staples Center, but for Fairley he loved coming out to the court with his jersey on.

“It feels good because my favorite team is the Lakers, it feels good to see me in one,” said Fairley.

He is one of many of the kids whose family live at one of Union Rescue Missions facilities. So this is a special day he says he enjoys everything from the slow fitness drills to the high-intensity workouts. Most of all he appreciates the trainers.

“I getting ready so my knees and stuff don’t hurt,” said Fairley. “It feels good that they have coaches that push me so I can keep doing what I’m doing and not lag or slack.”

Trainers like the Showtime Lakers AC Green who says that very push can make a big difference in the lives of young people.

“You don’t have that constant push you don’t have a motivation and sometimes you don’t have understanding of why you need to do it so it’s great to have a voice out here it’s great to have these coaches out here driving them to be better,” said Green.

Green says he enjoys coming out to Lakers Youth Foundation events and loves to pour into the lives of young people for lessons on and off the court.

“As we say talk is cheap so they get here and see people like myself and some others that are teaching them inside of the clinic but at the same time the messages that are communicated to them can do nothing but be positive and warm felt,” said Green.

Not only for them, but what he receives in return.

“It brings a lot of joy to my own heart to who I am as a person and God has given me a lot and I like to take advantage of that opportunity He’s given me by blessing somebody else,” said Green.

As for Fairley he says that the biggest lesson he has taking away from the day “Makes you feel good and helps me bring more kindness and do it for other people later on in the future or do it for them now.”

It is events like that show why the Lakers mean so much to their community