Sixty of the top youth basketball players in Asia will gather in Singapore for a four-day Basketball Without Borders Asia camp next weekend. And, Celtics guard Derrick White is making the trip to coach the young prospects, which will include 30 boys and 30 girls under the age of 17.
Basketball Without Borders (BWB) is a basketball camp organized by the NBA in conjunction with FIBA. Since 2001, BWB has hosted camps in 53 cities across 33 countries, engaging more than 4,600 participants.
Alongside White, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey and Portland Trail Blazers center Duop Reath will coach the camp, as will WNBA legend Ticha Penicheiro. Several current NBA assistant coaches — Vinay Bhavnani (Toronto Raptors), Jared Dudley (Dallas Mavericks), Ronald Nored (Atlanta Hawks), and Khalid Robinson (Golden State Warriors) — will be in attendance. Patrick Hunt, the President of the World Association of Basketball Coaches, will serve as camp director.
Campers will partake in a variety of movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests, and 5-on-5 games, per the NBA. On the final day of camp, several awards will be announced, including MVP, a Sportsmanship Award, and Defensive MVP, among others.
Alongside basketball drills, campers will engage in programming related to building life skills, leadership development, and social responsibility.
The camp will take place at the Singapore Basketball Centre in Singapore from June 19th to June 22nd. It’s the 15th edition of Basketball Without Borders Asia. After the camp, the NBA is hosting its first regional high-school basketball tournament that will feature boys’ and girls’ teams from 11 countries across Asia-Pacific.
Troy Justice, the NBA’s senior vice president and head of International Basketball Operations, said in an official press release that the league is committed to growing the game across Asia-Pacific.
“Bringing Basketball Without Borders back to Singapore reflects our commitment to growing the game in the country and across Asia-Pacific,” Justice said. “This year’s camp is particularly special, as it will coincide with our new basketball and entertainment festival and the NBA Rising Stars Invitational, our first regional high-school basketball tournament. We look forward to a memorable week of events that will leave a lasting impact on fans and players from across the region.”
Of the thousands who have participated in Basketball Without Borders since 2001, 132 former campers ultimately advanced to the NBA or WNBA. That list includes Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Charlotte Hornets forward Josh Green, and Los Angeles Lakers guard Rui Hachimura.
