BFI inks deal with NBA

The National Basketball Association (NBA) will stage its first-ever event in India with Basketball without Borders—the league's global basketball development and community outreach programme. On the occasion, a series of activities have been planned between July 3 and 6, the NBA, FIBA and the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) announced after signing a document here today.

The Basketball without Borders camp will be used to influence positive social change featuring dozens of current and former NBA players and team personnel working as camp coaches. Top young basketball players (19 and below) from across Asia will come together in New Delhi to take part in instruction and competition. They will also participate in allied motivational programmes.

"We look forward to hosting this prestigious basketball camp," said BFI secretary-general Harish Sharma. "This will be an extraordinary opportunity to work with both the NBA and FIBA to help promote basketball in India."

"The NBA is pleased to partner with BFI and FIBA to stage the league's inaugural camp in India," said Heidi Ueberroth, NBA president, Global Marketing Partnerships and International Business Operations. "We look forward to working together on the first of many activities."

ESPN Star Sports, NBA's television partner, will provide television coverage of the camp, informed Manu Sawhney, Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports.

"We firmly believe that such an activity will work towards building a healthy sporting culture among the Indian youth," he added. Since the inaugural camp in 2001, Basketball without Borders has been staged in nine countries and territories on five continents. Last year, the initiative took place in Shanghai, China; São Paulo, Brazil; Paris, France; and Johannesburg, South Africa.

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