Four-time NBA championship winner and former Boston Celtics great Robert Parish launched the league's flagship Junior Hoop School programme for Indian children.
It's not everyday that kids in India get to learn the nuances of basketball from someone who has played 21 seasons in the NBA, more than any other player in history and Parish seems to have a roadmap in mind for India.
"We are teaching them to play the right way. This way you are going to develop love and passion for any sport. if you learn to play the right way and that’s the fundamentals and principles that goes into any sport," says Parish.
The five-week programme will involve more than 600 schools and it has been specially designed and customised for India.
"I don't know about long term attaching an individual player but we will continue to bring in NBA legends as well as current players to India to be able to generate awareness for the game," explains Akash Jain, Director, International Development, NBA.
"The basic problem we are facing in India is that coaches are not as familiar with the game as people from America. So NBA is helping us train the coaches. This will help improve basketball at the grassroots level," adds BFA chief Harish Sharma.
The NBA is doing its bit in India through programmes like "Basketball without Borders" and "Hoop", with legends like Parish showing an interest in coaching assignments, things can only get better for Indian basketball in future.
Posted by
Anbu.
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