Wazzup Pilipinas!
The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced the launch of NBA Basketball School, a network of tuition-based
basketball development programs around the world open to international male and
female players ages 6-18.
The first NBA Basketball School launched today
in Mumbai, India as part of a multiyear agreement announced today with India On
Track (IOT), one of India’s leading sports management, marketing and
development companies. Additional NBA
Basketball Schools will be launched in India and around the world in the coming
months.
The new initiative adds an additional
layer to the NBA’s existing basketball development efforts, including the Jr.
NBA, Basketball without Borders (BWB) and NBA Academies.
The Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth
basketball participation program for boys and girls, will help identify young
players who have the talent to attend NBA Basketball Schools. From there, the top players at
each NBA Basketball School will have the opportunity to be selected to attend
NBA Academies, the league’s network of elite basketball training centers around
the world to develop top international male and female prospects. Registration to attend the NBA Basketball
School in Mumbai is now open at indiaontrack.nba.com.
“Our goal is to inspire more young male
and female players to learn the game under the guidance of established coaches
with proven training techniques,” said NBA Vice President, International
Basketball Operations & Head of Elite Basketball, Brooks Meek. “The NBA Basketball School builds an
additional track between the Jr. NBA and NBA Academies with the goal of
increasing the pool of players who have the talent to attend our academies
around the world.”
“There has never been a more exciting time
for the growth of basketball in India,” said NBA India Managing Director
Yannick Colaco. “Between NBA Academy
India welcoming 24 elite prospects and the launch of NBA Basketball Schools with
our partner India On Track, we are investing more than ever in identifying and
training India’s aspiring young players.”
“We are now at the cusp of a new phase in
India’s sporting journey, and to ensure its continued growth we need to lay
down strong foundations for basketball,” said India On Track Founder and Chief
Executive Officer Vivek Sethia. “This
initiative jointly executed by the NBA and India On Track will help to create a
platform to identify and engage the untapped basketball potential in India
thereby creating a larger talent pool for academies to choose from.”
Each NBA Basketball School will feature year-long,
tuition-based programs open to international male and female players ages
6-18. The NBA Basketball School
curriculum, which is designed to help players, parents, coaches and
organizations better understand the process of improvement, has been developed
by the NBA’s Elite Basketball Development team in consultation with current and
former NBA coaches, former NBA players, and player development experts. The comprehensive curriculum covers oncourt
training, strength and conditioning, and basketball education for young players
ages 6-18 and will be implemented by local coaches working directly with the
NBA’s International Basketball Operations staff around the world.
The NBA Basketball School in Mumbai builds
on the NBA’s existing basketball and youth development initiatives in India. The Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program has
reached more than 3.5 million youth and trained more than 3,000 physical
education instructors nationwide since its launch in 2013. In November 2016, the NBA announced its plan
to launch NBA Academy India, an elite basketball training center in Delhi
National Capital Region (NCR) for the top male and female prospects from
throughout India. NBA Academy India, the
first of its kind in the country, will open in May.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
