Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Shaquille O’Neal Youth Complex
On June 27th, NBA Hall of Famer, member of Communities In Schools (CIS) national board of directors, Boys & Girls Club (BGC) Alumni Hall of Fame, and founder of The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, Shaquille O’Neal, was joined by local leaders and dignitaries to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Shaquille O'Neal Youth Complex with a press conference and shovel ceremony. The collaborative youth facility will benefit nonprofit partners, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada (BGCSNV), and Communities In Schools of Southern Nevada (CIS of Southern Nevada). Speakers included Shaquille O’Neal, Dr. Lisa Morris Hibbler, executive director of The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, Sandra Douglass Morgan, president of Las Vegas Raiders and leadership from nonprofit partners: Andy Bischel, executive director of Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada; and Tami Hance-Lehr, CEO and state director of Communities In Schools of Nevada. Special guests included Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill and CCSD Superintendent Jhone Ebert, among others.
The $24 million project, designed by Carpenter Sellers Del Gatto and constructed by CORE Construction, boasts a 30,000 square foot BGCSNV clubhouse and the country’s first-ever CIS Alumni Center. The CIS Alumni Center, made possible in part by the Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation, is dedicated to serving former CIS students. Thanks to generous donations from local sports organizations, the complex will also feature a 54,000 sq. foot multi-sports field sponsored by the Las Vegas Raiders and a UFC-themed mixed-martial arts and boxing center.
The state-of-the-art complex clubhouse includes other amenities such as an Early Childhood Learning center, gymnasium, mental wellness rooms, technology and innovation labs, and more, providing youth in grades PK-12 with the academic, social, emotional, recreational, and tech resources needed for youth development and long-term stability. The groundbreaking comes nearly a year after Clark County commissioners approved a vote to donate the five-acre plot of land to The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation. The Shaquille O’Neal Youth Complex is expected to be completed in late 2026.
