Basketball without Borders Americas Day 3 Recap

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL., August 2, 2007 - The third day of BWB Americas began with a special Life Skills Seminar focusing on the Character and Qualities of a Leader, led by Conectas. Campers learned about essential skills to becoming a leader, while keeping true to teamwork and sportsmanship. Team practices continued later in the day, revolving around core basketball skills.

In the afternoon, approximately 50 coaches from across Brazil were invited to participate in a Coaches Clinic led by Phil Webber of the Phoenix Suns. The clinic focused on key basketball skills and provided participating coaches an insight to NBA training techniques.

Meanwhile, NBA players and coaches continued their commitment to community outreach by participating in an NBA Cares Legacy Project, the league’s premiere outreach activity, where a state-of-art Learn & Play Center was dedicated at Coliseu Favela in Sao Paulo. In partnership with Nike, CUFA (Central Unica das Favelas) and Rede Jovem (Youth Net), the NBA donated two newly refurbished basketball courts and a multimedia room with 15 laptop computers donated by Lenovo.

To inaugurate the new facility, a dedication ceremony, featuring current and former NBA players and coaches, was held at the site with the Coliseu community. The event featured local entertainment, including Capoeira dancers, who were joined by Leandro Barbosa, an expert in the rhythmic folklore. The Legacy Project generated significant media coverage with a total of 25 members of the media in attendance including some of the country’s most important outlets such as: TV Globo, ESPN, TV Gazeta, TV Esporte Interativo, Folha de Sao Paulo, Estado de Sao Paulo, Lance, Globoesporte.com, Terra.com and Gazeta Esportiva.

As part of the NBA’s commitment to building long-term projects that help develop kids in underserved areas, the courts and multimedia room will be staffed by Rede Jovem with basketball coaches and tutors, respectively, for a full year following the dedication ceremony. To date, the NBA and its teams have created 185 places to live, learn and play globally, 45 of which are outside of the United States.

The busy day ended on a high note with team scrimmages at Esporte Clube Pinheiros.

taken from nba.com