Six teams of youngsters from area youth centers made the most of Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s fourth annual Basketball for Peace tournament at the Salvation Army Kroc Center yesterday.

In addition to organizing the all-day affair, Conley recognized six local leaders as “true role models” for city youth: Erin Collins, the creator of a successful violence prevention program at a Boston school; Adam Gray, the 2012 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year; Deputy Superintendent William Gross of the Boston Police Department; Dr. Thea James, director of the Boston Medical Center’s Violence Intervention Program and member of the Attorney General’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence; Assistant District Attorney Migdalia Nalls, a Suffolk prosecutor and coach for the Massachusetts Bar Association High School Mock Trial Program; and Clayton Turnbull, an entrepreneur and advocate for minority-owned businesses in Boston.

As honorary captains, the local luminaries supported teams of young players from the Bromley Heath Tenant Management Corporation; the Condon Community Center in South Boston; the Dorchester Youth Collaborative; the Revere Police Athletic League; the Bridging the Gap program in Dudley Square; and the Teen Center at St. Peter’s in Dorchester. Each team had the opportunity to have its picture taken with the Boston Celtics 2008 NBA trophy.

Conley also recruited former NBA star Chris Herren to address about 100 kids from across the area. Herren – a standout high school athlete who went on to play for the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets – shared the story of his struggles with drug addiction and urged the assembled youth to remain true to themselves.

“We wanted the kids to see that they have choices,” Conley said. “There are good choices and bad choices, and there are consequences for each. This is a chance for kids to have fun and interact with us as friends and neighbors, but it’s also a chance to see how successful they can be if they try hard, stay focused, and adopt positive role models.”

Each year since 2009, Basketball for Peace has brought together kids, teens, and families from across the area with prosecutors, victim advocates, civilian investigators, and others from the DA’s office. Also on hand are local police, non-profit groups, and social service providers, all for a day of safe, healthy fun.

“I don’t know how we’re going to top this year’s games, but I know we’ll find a way,” Conley said.