Kobe Bryant to team up with former president Bill Clinton in La Quinta

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant will join former President Bill Clinton to lead a panel on kids and sports at the Clinton Health Matters Initiative Conference in La Quinta on Tuesday, January 14, 2014.

“It’s a really important initiative for kids to understand that you’re not just getting the benefits of being healthy, you’re also understanding how to be great leaders, how to be unselfish, how to work within a group, competitive spirit,” Bryant said.

The 2014 conference takes place from January 13-15 and precedes the Humana Challenge PGA TOUR golf tournament in Palm Springs.

Topics for the roundtable discussion, announced Tuesday, will include barriers to access, quality coaching, and health and safety.

The event is sponsored by the Aspen Institute, Clinton Foundation, ESPN and Nike’s Access to Sport Initiative. ESPN will broadcast the discussion in prime time in early February.

AP freelance writer Amy Jinkner-Lloyd in Atlanta contributed to this report.