Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
ECA NEWS
Home > ECA News

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
For Immediate Release August 31, 2005
2005/823
Press Review

A Slam-Dunk! U.S. Department of State Partners with the NBA and Reebok to Promote Youth Basketball in Africa

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) along with U.S. embassies in Algeria, Nigeria and Senegal have partnered with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and its corporate partner Reebok to sponsor basketball clinics for young boys and girls in Africa. Twelve thousand youth in Nigeria, Senegal and Algeria will receive a pair of new basketball shoes through this public-private partnership.

ECA Sports Envoys, NBA player Jim Jackson from the Phoenix Suns and Cynthia Cooper, former Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) player for the Houston Comets, will conduct 3 days of basketball clinics in Senegal September 2-5. These clinics, for youth ages 7-17, will include technique drills and team building activities, as well as providing an opportunity for the African youth to engage in dialogue with American players and coaches.

In addition to support from the Senegalese Basketball Federation, the Sports Envoys will be joined by an NBA delegation that includes Senegalese NBA player Mamadou N'diaye, and coaches from the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Bobcats, Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks. Legendary Georgetown coach and Turner Network Television analyst John Thompson will also attend.

These clinics provide an opportunity for young people to discover how success in sports can be transformed into the development of life skills and achievements in the classroom, emphasizing the values of teamwork, respect, and leadership. The first basketball clinic took place August 12-14 in Abuja, Nigeria featuring NBA player and Nigerian native Obinna Ekezie. The third, and final clinic will take place in Algiers, Algeria in October 2005.

For further information about U.S. government-sponsored international sports initiatives through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, please contact Nicole Deaner, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at 202/203-7613.

Back to the top