Sam and Carla posing with the tired basketball players.

NBA Legend Sam Perkins and former WNBA player Carla McGhee traveled to Qatar from May 27-31, 2009 to conduct basketball clinics for coaches and youth. The two Sports Envoys taught basketball skills and spoke about the importance of hard work to more than 200 Qatari boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 17. The envoys also worked with the Qatar Junior Men’s National Basketball Team, members of the Women’s Senior and Junior National Basketball Teams. The Sports Envoy program was conducted in conjunction with the NBA and the Qatar Women's Sports Committee.

During their first day, the envoys conducted basketball clinics at four schools where 200 youth and 25 coaches experienced professional level drills that focused on their basic basketball skills but also helped motivate, inspire and push the young players to work harder and be committed to the sport in order to see results. The program with the Women and Men’s Junior National teams emphasized teamwork and leadership skills while the Women’s National Team was run through a rugged NBA style practice.

A cultural highlight happened when Carla addressed and instructed young Qatari boys in the conservative boy schools and pushed them hard to go above their threshold in order to succeed. Carla’s presence helped change the rigid mindset of most Qataris in these schools who commonly believe that a woman’s role is not on the playing field or in athletics. Her coaching style was new to the Qataris who had never experienced a woman basketball coach address a group of young men.

Carla McGhee stated "It was my first trip to the Middle East and I frankly didn't know what to expect. The Qatari coaches are doing a good job in promoting basketball among girls. From experience, I know that the game helps build self-confidence. Although the game demands sacrifices, it's a fulfilling experience."

Qatar national women's teams' coach Maissa Yousef noted that "Interacting with the Olympic gold medalists was an unexpected bonus for the team. They motivated the players by sharing their rich experiences. This initiative was a success. My wards are pioneers in women's basketball in the country. Such visits will encourage and motivate them to perform better."

This successful program was heavily covered in the local press with front page stories in the four daily newspapers. Al Jazeera Sports television, with a viewing audience of over 50 million in the Gulf, interviewed the two envoys as well as filming two of the clinics.