– 16th BWB Europe Camp Will Bring Together Top 62 Boys and Girls from 22 Countries Along with Hundreds of Young People from Christian, Druze, Jewish, Muslim and Other Communities –
MIES, NEW YORK, TEL AVIV, Aug. 10, 2017 – The National Basketball Association (NBA), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Israel Basketball Association today announced the current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players who will coach at the 16th edition of Basketball without Borders (BWB) Europe, which will bring together the top 62 boys and girls ages 17 and under from 22 countries.
BWB Europe 2017 will be held Sunday, Aug. 13 – Wednesday, Aug. 16 in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and at The Wingate Institute in Netanya, marking the first time that the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program will be held in Israel. Nike will serve as the official partner.
The campers will be coached by current NBA and FIBA players Jerryd Bayless (Philadelphia 76ers), Omri Casspi (Golden State Warriors; Israel; BWB Europe 2005), Sam Dekker (LA Clippers), Gal Mekel (Gran Canaria; Israel) and Norman Powell (Toronto Raptors), former NBA player and FIBA legend Anthony Parker, former WNBA player and Israeli National Women’s team member Shay Doron (Maccabi Ashdod; Israel), FIBA legend and former Israeli National Women’s team member Liron Cohen, and San Antonio Spurs legend and 2013 FIBA Hall of Fame inductee David Robinson.
BWB Europe 2017 will also bring together hundreds of youth from Christian, Druze, Jewish, Muslim and other communities for a series of community events, including workshops on cultural understanding, clinics focused on basketball skill development, and team-building and leadership sessions:
- In partnership with the Jerusalem International YMCA and leading community organizations, NBA and FIBA players, coaches and legends will dedicate a new NBA Cares Learn & Play Center at the YMCA by participating in a series of interactive programs with local youth. The Learn & Play Center will feature a new “Youth Hub,” a multi-use classroom space for meetings, trainings, cultural dialogues and language instruction in Arabic, English and Hebrew; and enhancements to the YMCA’s basketball gymnasium, both of which will be the home of programs that use sports, the arts, and cultural exchanges to educate and empower local youth leaders.
- In partnership with the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation and the Jerusalem International YMCA, NBA and FIBA players and legends will participate in Building Bridges of Understanding, a workshop with youth leaders working to cross cultural boundaries in society. The program will bring together a diverse group of high-school aged boys and girls from Christian, Druze, Jewish, Muslim and other communities for interactive workshops, team building activities and musical performances.
- A Jr. NBA basketball clinic for 80 local youth focusing on fundamentals, fitness and fun will be held in partnership with Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Omri Casspi Foundation.
- BWB campers will participate in team-building and leadership sessions focusing on success on and off the court and bridging cultural divides.
Current and former NBA, FIBA and USA Basketball (USAB) coaches Ron Adams (Warriors), Johnnie Bryant (Utah Jazz), Dan Burke (Indiana Pacers), Kurt Rambis (New York Knicks) and Don Showalter (USAB) will also serve as BWB Europe 2017 coaches. Patrick Hunt (President of the World Association of Basketball Coaches; Australia) and Marin Sedlacek (76ers; Serbia) will be the camp directors, with Regev Fanan (Maccabi Tel Aviv) serving as the camp’s athletic trainer. Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman, Spurs General Manager R.C. Buford, Denver Nuggets President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly, Raptors Senior Basketball Advisor Wayne Embry, Sixers Vice President of Player Personnel Marc Eversley, Heat assistant GM Adam Simon and Raptors President Masai Ujiri (Nigeria) will also participate in the camp. NBA Vice President, Referee Operations and Director of Officials Bob Delaney will oversee and review the local officials working the camp as part of the league’s efforts to identify and develop international referees.
Players and coaches will lead the campers through a variety of activities on and off the court, including movement efficiency, positional skill development, shooting and skills competitions, 5-on-5 games, and daily life skills seminars focusing on health, leadership and communication. One boy and one girl will be named BWB Europe Camp MVPs at the conclusion of the camp.
Nike, a BWB global partner since 2002, will outfit the campers and coaches with Nike apparel and footwear.
BWB has reached more than 2,860 participants from 134 countries and territories since 2001, with 46 campers drafted into the NBA. Twenty-three former BWB campers, including 13 former BWB Europe campers, were on opening-night rosters for the 2016-17 season. This year’s BWB schedule also featured an inaugural BWB Americas camp in the Bahamas from July 5-8, while the 15th edition of BWB Africa was held in Johannesburg, South Africa from Aug. 2-5.
The first-ever Basketball without Borders camp took place in Europe in July 2001. Vlade Divac (Serbia) and Toni Kukoc (Croatia), together with former teammates from the Yugoslav national team, reunited to work with 50 children from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia and Montenegro at La Ghirada in Treviso, Italy. The NBA and FIBA have staged 51 BWB camps in 31 cities across 26 countries on six continents. More than 240 current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players have joined more than 185 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams to support BWB across the world.
