The AntetokounBros Academy – the basketball and education-based venture created by Giannis, Thanasis, Kostas and Alex Antetokounmpo to guide 100 young athletes and 12 coaches from vulnerable social groups – is back for a third year in Athens, Greece.
Girls and boys aged 12-16 from every Athens neighborhood, with roots in countries around the globe, and from different social, economic and cultural backgrounds, all have the chance to apply for the free places on offer as part of the Academy’s new season. Alongside them, young coaches aged 18-25 will be able to launch their careers by taking up one of the available program places.
Second season athletes and trainee coaches will get the chance to continue their training programs, which were interrupted by the pandemic, in the new 2021-2022 season. Remaining places will be filled by new candidates, selected on the basis of social and economic criteria.
The application process for new candidates is now open, running until Tuesday, September 28 on the Academy’s website: https://www.antetokounbrosacademy.net/
What matters is not where you start from. What matters is where you can reach.
The Antetokounmpo brothers have reached the top of the basketball world and shown that hard work, self-belief, and dedication can make the impossible possible. But they won’t forget where it all began. That is why they feel the need to offer opportunities to those who need them most – to empower and inspire kids in real-world ways.
The AntetokounBros Academy is run in partnership with Nike, whose mission is to inspire kids to develop through sport, the Eurohoops Organization, which leads the implementation and training program, and the Onassis Foundation, which, through workshops, speeches and scholarships, inspires and encourages the participants. The entire curriculum instills young people with the values that the Antetokounmpo brothers advocate.
Head coach of the AntetokounBros Academy is Evina Maltsi, a legendary figure from the world of women’s basketball who has made history with her achievements, track record, and sporting ethos.
At the AntetokounBros Academy, basketball is simply the spark to get kids dreaming, to help them create a better future for themselves. Sport has the power to overcome each and every difference, to inspire respect, bring joy, and teach us ways in which to go beyond our limits. Taking basketball as their vehicle, young girls and boys are setting out on a journey filled with beautiful experiences and life lessons.
The AntetokounBros Academy program includes twice-weekly basketball training sessions led by the Eurohoops Organization each weekend. These sessions are held at sporting facilities in the Ellinorosson and Lambrini neighborhoods refurbished by Nike, with the support of the City of Athens’ Organization of Culture, Sports and Youth (OPANDA), Division of Social Solidarity, Greek Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (TEBA), and Migrant Integration Center.
The program goes beyond the base and sidelines of the basketball court thanks to a series of workshops held at Onassis Stegi. Experiential workshops, theoretical game analyses by the Eurohoops coaching team, and inspirational speeches, given by distinguished professionals drawn from various sectors as well as great athletes, all seek to develop the skillsets of the participants and inspire them to achieve their dreams. In its totality, the Academy’s sporting and educational program is designed to meet the hygiene protocols and guidelines set out by the Hellenic National Public Health Organization and the General Secretariat of Sports to limit the spread of Covid-19.
Throughout the season, our 100 athletes will have the chance to win one of six year-long Eurohoops training scholarships, while four participants will be selected to attend summer classes in England. The AntetokounBros Academy graduate with the best track record overall will be awarded a “One of a Kind” university scholarship by the Onassis Foundation.
Trainee coaches will also have incredible development prospects. Two will be selected to receive further training, two will get the chance to work at the Eurohoops Organization, and one will attend a basketball training camp abroad funded by the Onassis Foundation.
Apply now. Be the best you can be!
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Eurohoops Organization
Eurohoops’ mission is to spread its passion for basketball and deliver positive experiences through all Eurohoops Organization’s actions, across every sector in which it operates:
- Engage children to basketball, help them learn and enjoy their play and getting across life and social values.
- Develop the future athletes, co-players and even opponent players.
- Focusing on spreading the basketball news and progress in a brand safety manner for the sport of basketball and developing healthy fans.
Eurohoops Organization involves the Eurohoops Academy with director the EuroLeague legend, Theodore Papaloukas hosted at Eurohoops Dome, a high-end 3 courts’ basketball arena, safe and equipped with latest technology standards, a premium basketball center for basketball lovers. It is the first SmartCourt arena in Greece, a basketball venue offering premium facilities for lovers of the game. Eurohoops also organizes basketball activations, tournaments and events. All above are communicated by Eurohoops.net, the biggest European basketball web site, operating in 5 languages: English, Greek, Spanish, Russian and Turkish.
Onassis Foundation
The focus of the Onassis Foundation’s mission is and will always be the individual. With priority since 1975 in the fields of culture, health and education, it creates the conditions, explores the ideas and triggers the discussions that lead to a better society. Releasing the potential and talent of young people, it has offered, over the past 45 years, more than 7,000 scholarships and educational programs for all; beyond social, economic, ethnic, gender and age restrictions. The Onassis Foundation believes in active citizens with bold ideas and optimist dreams, embracing the procedure, research, study, experimentation, as well as freedom, democracy and human rights.
More information at onassis.org.
ΝΙΚΕ
Nike exists to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. Our purpose is to move the world forward through the power of sport – breaking barriers and building community to change the game for all.
From the start, community has been at the core of who we are and what we do. Leveraging the power of sport as a unifying force, we’re committed to helping kids reach their greatest potential and creating more equal playing fields for all. Together with schools and grassroots, national and international organizations around the world, we’re investing in solutions to create lasting change.
For more information, visit purpose.nike.com
The program takes place at sporting facilities in Lambrini and Ellinorosson, with the support of the Organization of Culture, Sports and Youth of the City of Athens (OPANDA).
More information here: https://www.antetokounbrosacademy.net/