Want to see NBA players in action this weekend? Isaiah Thomas hosting “Zeke-End” tournament in Tacoma

Tacoma’s own Isaiah Thomas will hold the seventh annual “Zeke-End” basketball tournament this weekend at Tacoma Community College.

Thomas, 33, starred at Curtis High School and the University of Washington. He was the No. 60 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and has floated around the NBA, with his most successful stint coming with the Boston Celtics from 2015 to 2017, when he was a two-time NBA All-Star.

Every summer, he returns to Tacoma — a place he has invested in, with both his time and money — and hosts this tournament, which features a varying cast of NBA players and other local players.

“(Tacoma has) meant everything,” Thomas told The News Tribune in 2019, at the most recent Zeke-End (covid put things on hold until this weekend’s event). This is where I was born and raised. The city made me who I am. Anything, first and foremost, that I like to do for communities, it always comes back to Tacoma. This is just an event that’s getting bigger and better every year. Hopefully we can keep making it happen.”

The tournament will have a live DJ, food and giveaways. A portion of the proceeds will go to Isaiah’s foundation, the Thomas Family Giving Fund. Other attendees will include former Bellarmine Prep and UW star Abdul Gaddy, NBA All-Star Dejounte Murray and O’Dea and Duke product Paolo Banchero, who was the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft (Orlando Magic).

Games start at 9 a.m. on Saturday; doors open at 8:30 a.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for children ages six to 12, free for senior citizens and free for kids under six years old. There will be a free BBQ on Sunday.