NBA Is Helping Native American Children Learn Basketball Skills At Camp

The Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI) Tournament joined fans and former athletes for a week of basketball camp in Maricopa, Arizona. This year, the Junior NBA Camp teamed up with the NABI for a three-day basketball camp that taught more than 100 Native American ninth-graders basketball skills and life lessons.

High schoolers from tribes located in New Zealand and North America participated in the camp from Monday to Wednesday, where they learned shooting and dribbling skills from staff members, players and coaches. The tournament was so popular that the NBA decided to help, it was the second time the NBA held the camp that coincided with the NABI tournament.

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"The partnership with the NBA is a great opportunity to extend the mission of NABI," GinaMarie Scarpa, President & Co- founder of NABI said in a press release Wednesday. "Adding a skills-oriented Junior. NBA camp to NABI week not only prepares our younger players for high school basketball but, also gets them ready to join NABI next summer and showcases what opportunities and doors basketball can open for them as they prepare for college and their future."

Guests included former NBA small forward Cedric Ceballos, women’s basketball Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale, pro basketball player Damen Bell-Holte, Sacramento Kings head coach Dave Joerger and former NBA player A.C. Green.

Green, who is part Native American, talked about how he helped the children learn lessons and how important the camp was. Other than basketball techniques, the children learned leadership and communication skills through seminars.

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"It’s always been pretty exciting being able to transfer knowledge, transfer wealth, and that being the wealth of knowledge of the game of basketball and life lessons," Green told The Undefeated Wednesday. "Me being part Native American, 3 percent on my mom’s side."

"I love it from the standpoint of the Junior. NBA. Coupled with the idea of partnering and going into the Native American world, that was just something that took it to another level," he added.

Junior NBA Camp was developed by Coach Joerger and NBA Senior Vice President Kim Bohuny after they witnessed the success of the league’s Basketball Without Borders event, which hosted basketball games internationally.

Introduce basic offensive & defensive concepts with the #JrNBA Starter Practice Plans.https://t.co/4LYrZkFGDQ pic.twitter.com/J9iCh7aKT1

— Jr. NBA (@jrnba) July 6, 2017

"We were doing a great job around the world and we talked about how we could get involved within our borders," Joerger told The Undefeated. "It’s important to have an ongoing presence and having a sustained program. We’re hoping that it grows, and Kim and her fantastic group of people she works with are committed to that. And that’s important for different social reasons. This is a commitment that we’re making as a league, and we’re going to be here."

Joerger said that the program allowed children from all nationalities inclusion in a sport that is primarily American.

"Our country is inclusive, but maybe they haven’t always felt this way individually or as a group," he continued. “They are in it and seeing the kids and the pride that they have in wearing a jersey that says ‘NBA,’ the smiles [on their faces] and coming back every day just fired up. To me, that’s what’s really cool."