NBA to Conduct Basketball Camp for Girls in India

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has announced that the NBA Academies Women’s Program, a series of basketball development camps for top female prospects, will be conducted in India, Australia, China, and Senegal by the end of 2018, the American sports body said.

The camps will be overseen by 1996 Olympic gold medalist and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame member Jennifer Azzi, two-time WNBA champion Ruth Riley and former college coach Blair Hardiek.

“We are committed to growing the game of basketball among boys and girls at both the youth and elite levels. After our successful launch of the NBA Academy India last year, we are looking forward to bringing the women’s program to India in 2018,” NBA India managing director Yannick Colaco said.

The initiative will involve the NBA, in association with the national federation of the host country, identifying 20-25 female prospects in the Under-17 group for their training module.

“It’s an honor to be a part of the NBA Academies Women’s Program. I’m looking forward to working with the talented girls from Africa, Australia, China, India and Latin America and helping them maximize their potential on and off the court,” said Azzi.

Providing women players with an opportunity to hone their skills, the launch of the NBA Academies Women’s Program follows the launch of academies in various locations across the globe, like Canberra in Australia; Jinan, Urumqi and Zhuji in China; Mexico City in Mexico; Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) in India; and Thies in Senegal.

Brooks Meek, the NBA vice president, International Basketball Operations, and head of Elite Basketball, said that this program continues to take forward the commitment of growing the game among boys and girls at the youth and elite levels around the world. “Having Jennifer, Ruth and Blair working directly with these talented young women will help them develop as players and people,” added Meek.

The first camp will be held during March 9-11 at the NBA Academy in Latin America, for the top male and female prospects from throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America.

NBA academies comprise educational development for top male and female prospects from outside the United States and mark the NBA’s signature elite player development initiative that will focus on education, leadership, character development and life skills. It exposes prospects to NBA-level coaching, facilities and competition, and provides a global framework for them to maximize their success.

The new initiative by the NBA will help many female basketball players get international training, and ensure better prospects for Indian women basketball squad in the future.

In July last year, the Indian women’s basketball team beat Kazakhstan, and climbed up to Division A of the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 that was held in Bengaluru. The Indian women’s squad was promoted to Division A for the next edition of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup.