Third Annual BWB Global Camp During NBA All-Star 2017 Will Bring Together Top 67 High School Age Boys And Girls From 32 Countries And Territories

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) today announced the top 67 boys and girls from 32 countries and territories who will travel to New Orleans for the third annual Basketball without Borders (BWB) Global Camp. The camp will be held Feb. 17-19 at the New Orleans Pelicans’ practice facility as part of NBA All-Star 2017, and Nike will serve as the official partner.

NBA and FIBA players and coaches, including Cheick Diallo (New Orleans Pelicans; Mali), Wayne Ellington (Miami Heat; U.S.), Justin Holiday (New York Knicks; U.S.), Meyers Leonard (Portland Trail Blazers; U.S.), Thon Maker (Milwaukee Bucks; South Sudan; BWB Americas 2015/BWB Global 2016) and Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver Nuggets; Democratic Republic of the Congo), will coach the top high school age campers from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. Diallo, Ellington, Holiday, Leonard, Maker and Mudiay will be joined by former NBA player Adonal Foyle (St. Vincent and the Grenadines), former WNBA players Rushia Brown (U.S.), Ebony Hoffman (U.S.) and Ruth Riley (U.S.), as well as select players from the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge.

The NBA and FIBA hosted the inaugural BWB Global Camp at NBA All-Star 2015 in New York City, beginning an annual All-Star tradition. BWB, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program, has reached 2,690 participants from 133 countries and territories since 2001, with 43 campers drafted into the NBA. Twenty-three former BWB campers were on opening-night rosters for the 2016-17 season, including Dragan Bender (Phoenix Suns; Croatia; BWB Global 2015), Maker and Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets; Canada; BWB Global 2015).

“The Basketball without Borders Global Camp is a great opportunity for the top male and female prospects from around the world to compete against one another, learn directly from NBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches, and experience the excitement of NBA All-Star,” said NBA Vice President, International Basketball Operations & Head of Elite Basketball, Brooks Meek. “The Basketball without Borders program was founded on the belief that basketball brings young players from different backgrounds together and transcends cultural boundaries.”

“We look forward to the Basketball without Borders Global Camp taking place in New Orleans and tipping off another exciting year of the BWB program,” said FIBA National Federations & Sport Director Zoran Radovic. “The camp, which brings together youth players from across the globe, has already gone from strength to strength in a very short period of time and provides campers with the experience of a lifetime, both on and off the court.”

Current NBA assistant coaches Joe Connelly (Denver Nuggets), Jay Hernandez (Orlando Magic) and Fred Vinson (New Orleans Pelicans), along with Brooklyn Nets scout and NBA D-League Assistant GM Matt Riccardi, will also serve as BWB Global coaches. Patrick Hunt (President of the World Association of Basketball Coaches; Australia), Gersson Rosas (Houston Rockets; Colombia), Marin Sedlacek (Philadelphia 76ers; Serbia) and Masai Ujiri (Toronto Raptors; Nigeria) will serve as camp directors. Former NBA trainer Wally Blase (U.S.) will serve as the camp’s athletic trainer.

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 Global Camp MVPs at the conclusion of the three-day camp.

The campers will attend the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, State Farm NBA All-Star Saturday Night, and the 66thNBA All-Star Game at Smoothie King Center.

Nike, a BWB global partner since 2002, will outfit the campers and coaches with Nike apparel and footwear. Fusionetics, a performance healthcare system designed to help athletes move, perform and recover, all while mitigating their risk of injury and optimizing performance, will provide movement efficiency testing and specific performance data on speed, agility and strength to the campers. Each camper will receive the Fusionetics app and get a digital profile with personalized injury prevention and performance programs.

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 46 BWB camps in 27 cities across 23 countries on six continents. More than 215 current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players have joined more than 170 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams to support BWB across the world.