Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
Sports

Kevin Durant To Coach Top Prospects At The NBA Academy India

IANS, 21 Jul, 2017 02:25 PM
    The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced that NBA Champion Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors will visit India to support the continued growth of basketball in the country and coach the country’s top prospects at The NBA Academy India.
     
     
    Durant, the 2017 Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, will travel to New Delhi on July 27 to donate two new basketball courts to the Ramjas School as part of the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation’s BUILD IT AND THEY WILL BALL Courts Renovation Initiative.  
     
     
    Durant will then visit The NBA Academy India in Noida, becoming the first active NBA player to visit the academy.  
     
     
     
    Durant will coach the prospects through a series of shooting, passing, dribbling and defensive drills.  Later in the afternoon at the academy, Durant will lead a large-scale basketball clinic for 5,000 youth from the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program – 1,000 of the athletes will be onsite while the other 4,000 boys and girls will join virtually from Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata via a satellite link. 
     
     
    “I’m excited to travel to India to help promote the game of basketball and meet the prospects at The NBA Academy India,” said Durant.  “I’ve wanted to visit India for a long time, and I can’t wait to experience the country’s unique culture and share my knowledge with the kids there.”
     
     
    “We are thrilled to host 2017 Finals MVP Kevin Durant in India,” said NBA India Managing Director Yannick Colaco.  “Kevin is coming off an historic season with the Golden State Warriors.  Having one of the very best players in our league interact with the basketball playing youth of India will serve as great inspiration to the next generation of players here, especially the high-performing prospects at The NBA Academy India.”
     
     
    Durant, a 6’9” forward from the University of Texas, was selected second overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA Draft.  An eight-time NBA All-Star and the 2014 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, Durant averaged 25.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.1 steals per game during the 2016-17 NBA season while leading the Golden State Warriors to the franchise’s fifth NBA Championship.
     
     
    The NBA Academy India, an elite basketball training center at Jaypee Greens Integrated Sports Complex for the top male and female prospects from throughout India, officially opened in May.  
     
     
    The NBA Academy India employs a holistic, 360-degree approach to player development with focuses on education, leadership, character development and life skills.  As part of the program, the students compete against top competition throughout the year and have an opportunity to be selected for travel teams that play in international tournaments and exhibition games.
     
     
    The NBA Academy India builds on the NBA’s existing basketball and youth development initiatives in India.  The Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program has reached more than 6 million youth and trained more than 5,000 physical education instructors nationwide since its launch in 2013.  
     
     
    On April 7, the NBA launched 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 in Mumbai, India as part of a multiyear agreement with India On Track (IOT), one of India’s leading sports management, marketing and development companies.  The second NBA Basketball School launched in New Delhi on June 30.

    MORE Sports ARTICLES

    'If Kohli Is Boss, Why Have A Coach At All'

    'If Kohli Is Boss, Why Have A Coach At All'
    Former India spinner Erapalli Prasanna took a dig at Virat Kohli and said if the current skipper feels he is the “boss” of the Indian cricket team then the team can do without a coach. 

    'If Kohli Is Boss, Why Have A Coach At All'

    Australian Open Super Series: Kidambi Srikanth In Semis; Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu Bow Out

    Australian Open Super Series: Kidambi Srikanth In Semis; Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu Bow Out
    Newly-crowned Indonesia Open winner Kidambi Srikanth continued his rampaging run to advance to the men's singles semifinals

    Australian Open Super Series: Kidambi Srikanth In Semis; Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu Bow Out

    Virat Kohli Responds To Kumble: Sanctity Of Dressing Room Should Be Maintained

    Opening up for the first time, Virat Kohli on Thursday said that he will never reveal dressing-room details, in an apparent reference to the now retired coach Anil Kumble’s statement that their partnership had become “untenable”.

    Virat Kohli Responds To Kumble: Sanctity Of Dressing Room Should Be Maintained

    Indian Shuttler Kidambi Srikanth Beats World No. 1 Ho To Storm Into Quarters

    Indian Shuttler Kidambi Srikanth Beats World No. 1 Ho To Storm Into Quarters
    After losing the first game, the 24-year-old Indian rebounded strongly to clinch a 15-21, 21-13, 21-13 win over Wan Ho in a gruelling second-round clash that lasted almost an hour.

    Indian Shuttler Kidambi Srikanth Beats World No. 1 Ho To Storm Into Quarters

    Boris Becker, Former Wimbledon Champion, Declared Bankrupt By British Court

    Boris Becker, Former Wimbledon Champion, Declared Bankrupt By British Court
    Boris Becker, former Wimbledon champion, was declared bankrupt at a High Court hearing on Wednesday. Lawyers for the 49-year-old pleaded with a Bankruptcy Court registrar in London for a ‘last chance’ to pay a long-standing debt but his plea got rejected.

    Boris Becker, Former Wimbledon Champion, Declared Bankrupt By British Court

    'Anil Kumble - Virat Kohli Communication Had Stopped Six Months Ago'

    'Anil Kumble - Virat Kohli  Communication Had Stopped Six Months Ago'
    Anil Kumble’s departure as head coach despite a successful year at the helm will be regarded as a triumph for player power in Indian cricket, according to several former captains.

    'Anil Kumble - Virat Kohli Communication Had Stopped Six Months Ago'