The 2012 schedule for Basketball without Borders (BWB) will feature two first-time locations, in Japan and Russia, and a return to South Africa, it was announced by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). First held in 2001, Basketball without Borders is the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development program that uses the sport to create positive social change in the areas of education and health and wellness.

NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo, Sam Dalembert (Houston Rockets) and Vladimir Radmanovic (Atlanta Hawks) will tip off the summer with Basketball without Borders Asia in Tokyo, Japan, from June 13 – 16. Xebio Co., LTD, a leading Japanese sports retail company, will serve as the Official Co-Organizer of Basketball without Borders Asia, providing all aspects of on-ground event support. In addition to NBA Cares community outreach efforts in Tokyo, the NBA players and coaches will visit Sendai where the group will conduct a basketball and fitness clinic for children affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

NBA coaches attending BWB Asia include Lloyd Pierce (Memphis Grizzlies), Rolando Blackman (Dallas Mavericks) and James Borrego (New Orleans Hornets), and shooting coach Dave Hopla. Dean Cooper returns as the BWB Asia Camp Director with Koichi Sato (Washington Wizards) joining as camp athletic trainer.

The 10th edition of Basketball without Borders Africa will return to Johannesburg, South Africa from Aug 30 – Sept 2. The Milwaukee Bucks’ Luc Mbah a Moute, a former BWB camper from Cameroon, will participate in his third BWB Africa camp as a coach along with Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Chicago Bulls teammates Luol Deng (South Sudan) and CJ Watson, and Oklahoma City Thunder teammates Serge Ibaka (Congo) and Cole Aldrich, with additional NBA coaches and personnel.

Rounding out the 2012 camp schedule will be another first, with Basketball without Borders Europe in Moscow, Russia, from Sept 13 – 16.

“Basketball without Borders showcases the NBA's commitment to using basketball as a tool to connect with communities around the world, and we are thrilled to bring the program to two new countries this year,” said Kathy Behrens, NBA Executive Vice President, Social Responsibility & Player Programs. “Thanks to the support of FIBA and our group of dedicated current and former NBA players and coaches, BWB continues to provide elite training for top young basketball talent around the world while helping to bring attention to important social issues.”

"I am delighted to see that Basketball without Borders will be making first-time visits to Japan and Russia and returning to South Africa this year," said Patrick Baumann, Secretary General of FIBA and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “BWB gives young people from all over the world the opportunity and tools to improve and showcase their basketball skills by learning from the best players and coaches around. Over the course of eleven years, the NBA and FIBA have also enabled these young athletes to become positive role models in their communities.”

BWB features top youth players from each region, as selected by the NBA and FIBA, training under NBA players and coaches. Campers receive top-level instruction on-court and participate in daily life-skills seminars focused on values of the game such as leadership, character development, and living a healthy lifestyle. Through NBA Cares, the NBA players and coaches also participate in extensive community outreach efforts highlighted by the creation of places for children and families to live, learn or play including new technology centers, libraries and basketball courts.

Since its inception, the NBA and FIBA have staged 30 BWB camps in 17 cities in 15 countries. Nearly 140 different current and former NBA/WNBA players have joined with more than 130 NBA coaches to act as mentors for nearly 1,500 campers from just over 100 countries, with 21 BWB campers drafted into the NBA.


Basketball Without Borders 2011

NBA Legends Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, and Dikembe Mutombo will headline Basketball without Borders (BWB) Africa 2011. Returning to South Africa for the eighth time Sept. 1-4, BWB is the NBA’s and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program, which uses sports to influence positive social change.

The trip will reunite Georgetown University alumni Ewing, Mourning, and Mutombo for their first trip to Africa together since the three were part of a contingent of NBA players, officials, coaches, and legends that traveled to Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), and South Africa for basketball youth clinics in 1994.

Selected as one of the 50 Greatest Basketball Players of All-Time, Ewing was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after a 17-year NBA career which included eleven NBA All-Star appearances. Mourning, a seven-time NBA All Star, played most of his 16-year career with the Miami Heat earning two NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards and helping lead the team to an NBA championship in 2006. In his 18 years in the league, Mutombo, now an NBA Global Ambassador, was one of the most prolific shot blockers in the history of the game and was an eight-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

“I had such an amazing experience in 1994 that I jumped at the opportunity to return to South Africa with Dikembe and Alonzo to participate in Basketball without Borders,” said Ewing, currently serving as assistant coach for the Orlando Magic. “The African continent has a huge reserve of untapped talent and I look forward to helping these young players’ development both on and off the court.”

Ewing, Mourning, and Mutombo will be joined by former Slam Dunk Champion Dee Brown; NBA All-Star and two-time NBA Three-Point Champion Jeff Hornacek; NBA Legend Bo Outlaw and WNBA Legends Tamika Raymond and Edna Campbell. NBA coaches in attendance include Harold Ellis (Detroit Pistons); Marc Eversley (Toronto Raptors); Lionel Hollins (Memphis Grizzlies); Noel Gillespie (Phoenix Suns); Mark Hughes (New York Knicks); Patrick Hunt (FIBA Coach); BJ Johnson (Houston Rockets); Milt Newton (Washington Wizards); and Monty Williams (New Orleans Hornets). Dionne Calhoun from the 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks and Koichi Sato (Washington Wizards) join as camp trainers. Phoenix Suns General Manager Lance Blanks and Denver Nuggets General Manager Masai Ujiri return as camp directors.

“As the appetite for basketball continues to grow across Africa, we are excited to welcome such legendary players as coaches for this year’s BWB,” said Amadou Gallo Fall, NBA Vice President for Development, Africa. “The young athletes selected for this camp will have the unique chance to learn from the greatest in the game and to interact with their peers, providing an important step in their careers and futures and an unforgettable experience for all involved.”

Since the inaugural ‘Africa 100 Camp’ in 2003, more than 100 NBA players and team personnel and more than 500 campers have participated in the camps in Johannesburg and Dakar, with five participants having made the transition to the NBA.

BWB Africa will be hosted by the King Edwards VII School in Johannesburg and will feature top players 18 and under from across Africa, as selected by the NBA and FIBA, training under NBA and WNBA Legends and coaches, and competing against their peers. Campers receive top-level instruction on-court and participate in daily life-skills seminars focused on values of the game such as leadership, character development, and living a healthy lifestyle. Through NBA Cares, the NBA legends and coaches also participate in extensive community outreach efforts highlighted by the creation of places for children and families to live, learn or play including new technology centers, libraries and basketball courts.

The NBA has a long history in the African continent and opened its first office in Africa in 2010, appointing Amadou Gallo Fall as Vice President for Development. NBA games, featuring ten players from Africa, were broadcast to fans in 55 African countries and territories in five languages for the 2010-11 season. Through NBA Cares, the NBA has helped create 30 places to live, learn or play in Africa, including technology centers, libraries, youth hostels, dining facilities, health clinics, homes and basketball courts. For the past nine years the NBA has conducted Basketball without Borders Africa, a basketball instructional camp for young people that also promotes leadership, education, sportsmanship, and healthy living. More than 100 NBA players and team personnel and more than 500 campers have participated in the camps in Johannesburg and Dakar.