NBA launches network of international basketball schools

Mumbai: The National Basketball Association (NBA) on Friday announced the launch of NBA Basketball School, a network of tuition-based development programmes around the world for international male and female players in the 6-18 age group.

The first NBA Basketball School was launched here as part of a multi-year agreement with India On Track (IOT), one of India's leading sports management, marketing and development companies.

Additional NBA Basketball Schools will be launched in India and around the world in the coming months.

"Our goal is to inspire more young male and female players to learn the game under the guidance of established coaches with proven training techniques," said NBA vice president, International Basketball Operations and Head of Elite Basketball, Brooks Meek.

"The NBA Basketball School builds an additional track between the Jr. NBA and NBA Academies with the goal of increasing the pool of players who have the talent to attend our academies around the world," he added.

The NBA Basketball School curriculum, which is designed to help players, parents, coaches and organisations better understand the process of improvement, has been developed by the NBA's Elite Basketball Development team in consultation with current and former NBA coaches, former NBA players, and player development experts.

The curriculum covers training, strength and conditioning, and basketball education for young players ages 6-18 and will be implemented by local coaches working directly with the NBA's International Basketball Operations staff around the world.