Patrick's PALS 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament

Name: Patrick’s PALS 30th Annual 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament & Community Celebration
Start: 2026-05-30
End: 2026-05-30
Location: the TRACK at new balance

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Patrick’s PALS was established in 1997 by James & Pamela Vershbow, Jon Pressman, Bill Rome, and Steve Savarese — and with it came the launch of the annual Patrick’s PALS 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament. Held every year to raise funds and awareness for Fragile X research, the tournament brings together friends, families, and players for a day of community, competition, and purpose.

Patrick is the son of James and Pamela. Born in February 1993, he was diagnosed 11 months later with Fragile X syndrome. Patrick lives at home and attends a weekday day program for individuals with disabilities. In February of 2026, Patrick will turn 33 years old.

In 1994, James and Pamela were introduced to FRAXA Research Foundation, which had just been co-founded by two other parents of a son with Fragile X. Over the next few years, with the support of friends and family, James and Pamela began holding events aimed at raising both awareness and funds to support FRAXA’s mission to find effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure.

Jon, Bill, Steve, and James have been close friends since 1976. In the winter of 1996, the four friends and Pamela began talking about ways to grow their fundraising efforts. On Saturday, May 31, 1997, Patrick’s PALS 1 took place with 16 teams playing in a double-elimination tournament — the first event raised $25,000.

Fast-forward to May 31, 2025, and Patrick’s PALS 29 welcomed 32 teams, featured contests, a silent auction, raffles, and more — raising over $150,000 to support Fragile X research.

Pamela and Patrick, 1997

30 Years of Hoops for a Cure for Fragile X

Patrick’s PALS is incredibly proud to have raised more than $2 million over 29 years, all of which has gone directly to FRAXA Research Foundation to fund critical research.

In 2026, Patrick’s PALS will mark its 30th anniversary on a date that couldn’t be more fitting — May 30.

What began as a modest tournament in a Cambridge gym has grown into a day-long event filled with friends, family, and players of all ages — now held at a truly spectacular venue, the TRACK at New Balance in Brighton. Nestled alongside the practice homes of the Boston Bruins and Celtics and the New Balance headquarters, it’s a facility that matches the spirit and energy of the day.

We hope you’ll join us in 2026 as Patrick’s PALS turns 30, and as FRAXA Research Foundation continues its mission to bring us closer to a cure for Fragile X.

Our Next Event

Saturday, May 30, 2026

Patrick’s PALS 30th Annual 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament & Community Celebration

the TRACK at new balance, 91 Guest St, Boston, MA 02135

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Patrick's PALS Board

Jim & Pamela Vershbow

Jon Pressman

Bill Rome

Steve Savarese

Jim Marks

Scott Katz

Andrew Pressman, Daniel Marks, Peter Savarese

Steven Rome

Within a few years of the first Patrick’s PALS 3-on-3 Tournament, longtime friend Jim Marks joined the PALS Board. Soon after, Scott Katz, another close friend of the original organizers, came on board. By the mid-2010s, the sons of Jon Pressman, Bill Rome, Steve Savarese, and Jim Marks — Andrew Pressman, Steven Rome, Peter Savarese, and Daniel Marks — joined the team after years of participating in the tournament themselves.

The PALS Board is a truly special group. They are loyal, close-knit, and deeply committed to raising awareness of Fragile X and helping fund research that brings us closer to effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure.