Jamal Hill, Duke of LA28 and ESPY Nominee, to Attend 2025 ESPYs and Host Exclusive LA28 Cocktail Party at Yamashiro Hollywood
Hosted by Swim Up Hill and supported by Reebok and ABG Group, the private gathering signals the next chapter in Jamal Hill’s rise as both an athlete and ambassador for Los Angeles ahead of the 2028 Games.
LOS ANGELES, CA — With the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the horizon, Jamal Hill is set to mark a pivotal moment, bringing his growing movement into public view through an evening designed to inspire connection, collaboration, and momentum.
The ESPYs red carpet sets the stage for Jamal Hill’s moment as a 2025 honoree and rising Olympic movement leader
Hill, a Paralympic medalist, 2025 ESPY nominee, and widely celebrated as the “Duke of LA28,” will host an invitation-only cocktail evening at the legendary Yamashiro Hollywood, a venue as iconic as the city it overlooks. Set just days before the ESPYs, the event will welcome 75 to 100 corporate decision-makers, creative leaders, and Olympic-aligned partners to celebrate Hill’s ascent and the official launch of his $3 million Road to LA28 Sponsorship Campaign.
The grand entrance of Yamashiro Hollywood—an iconic, lantern-lit setting for a defining night on Jamal Hill’s Road to LA28. Photo by Kit Leong/Shutterstock.
Hosted by the Swim Up Hill Foundation with support from Reebok, ABG Group, and venue partner Eli, the evening unfolds on the grounds of Yamashiro, overlooking the city as evening settles in. For Hill and his foundation, this moment marks more than a celebration. The event marks the public launch of a campaign years in the making, one that will shape his path to LA28 both in the water and in the community.
“The road to LA28 isn’t just a training plan—it’s a movement,” said Hill. “This cocktail party marks the next chapter. I’m honored to share it with the city that raised me and the partners who believe in what we’re building.”
Hill’s appearance at the 2025 ESPYs, following a prior nomination for the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award, cements his place not only among the nation’s elite athletes but also as a generational leader redefining what modern Olympic legacy can look like. That legacy begins here, in the city that shaped him.
Jamal Hill arrives in style on the 2025 ESPYs red carpet ahead of the Yamashiro gathering.
The cocktail party also brings together several of Hill’s most trusted collaborators. Reebok and ABG Group, both longstanding champions of purpose-driven athletes, are presenting partners for the evening and early supporters of the LA28 campaign effort. Their involvement underscores a growing alignment between performance and purpose, brand and belief.
“We’re proud to support Jamal’s leadership on and off the podium,” said a representative from ABG Group.“The work he’s doing redefines what athlete impact can look like.”
The choice of Yamashiro Hollywood is no accident. Donated by venue partner Eli, the space carries a sense of legacy, elevation, and old-Hollywood charm. The venue provides a fitting backdrop for a defining night in Hill’s Olympic journey, where athletes, creatives, and changemakers have gathered for decades before taking their next leap.
Spotlights rise above Hollywood’s skyline from Yamashiro’s hillside path—capturing the energy of a night designed to inspire. Photo via VIP Nightlife.
More Than a Moment
This campaign launch holds deep personal meaning for Hill. More than a milestone, the moment reflects a much longer story still unfolding. Through the Swim Up Hill Foundation, he has reached more than 20,000 people across three continents, from students in Los Angeles public schools to young swimmers in Medellín, Colombia. The goal to teach one million people to swim each year by 2028 goes beyond ambition. That work is already underway, quietly, steadily, and through a model built on lived experience, cultural trust, and years of groundwork.
The evening at Yamashiro is a reminder of the work that has taken place. What began as a personal mission has gained steady ground, and the impact is now stepping into a larger spotlight. Hill’s path to LA28 is becoming part of Los Angeles’ unfolding Olympic story, one that will grow not through headlines alone, but through classrooms, public pools, and the kinds of partnerships that leave something lasting behind.
Opportunities for Funders and Partners
Swim Up Hill invites aligned partners to support the next phase of Jamal Hill’s journey and expand the impact of the Foundation’s Olympic legacy work.
Ways to engage:
Join the $3M Road to LA28 Sponsorship Campaign
Attend the invitation-only cocktail party as a potential sponsor
Support the Swim Up Hill Foundation through aligned branding or community investments
These partnerships are key to growing community-based swim education, amplifying athlete-led change, and building a movement that lasts to the 2028 Games and beyond.
To contribute or learn more, visit www.swimuphill.org/social-impact.
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