By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
The 17th edition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Europe will be held August 15-18 at Zarkovo Sports Hall in Belgrade, as announced Thursday by FIBA.
The camp will feature star names of the sport, including coach Gregg Popovich and NBA stars Nikola Jokic, Nemanja Bjelica.
Per the official announcement:
BWB Europe 2018 will bring together the top male and female players ages 17 and under from throughout Europe to learn directly from NBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches and to compete against the best young players from the region.
The first-ever Basketball Without Borders camp took place in Europe in July 2001. Vlade Divac (Serbia) and Toni Kukoc (Croatia), together with former teammates from the Yugoslav national team, reunited to work with 50 children from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MKD), Slovenia and Serbia and Montenegro at La Ghirada in Treviso, Italy.
Nemanja Bjelica (Minnesota Timberwolves, Serbia); Bogdan Bogdanovic (Sacramento Kings, Serbia); Gary Harris (Denver Nuggets, USA); Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets, Serbia) and Frank Kaminsky (Charlotte Hornets, USA/Serbia) will lead the campers through a variety of activities on and off the court. Divac and Peja Stojakovic (both Sacramento Kings, Serbia) who both took part in the inaugural 2001 BWB Europe camp will also attend, with additional players, former players to be announced.
Current NBA coaches Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs, USA), Popeye Jones (Indiana Pacers, USA) and Jacque Vaughn (Brooklyn Nets, USA) will serve as BWB Europe coaches with additional coaches and coaching staff to be announced. Marin Sedlacek (Philadelphia 76ers, Serbia) and Patrick Hunt (President of the World Association of Basketball Coaches) will serve as camp directors.
Nike, a BWB global partner since 2002, will outfit the campers and coaches with Nike apparel and footwear.
BWB has reached more than 3,200 participants from 127 countries and territories since 2001, with more than 55 former campers drafted into the NBA or signed as free agents. A record 24 former BWB campers were on opening-night rosters for the 2017-18 NBA season, including Milos Teodosic (Los Angeles Clippers; Serbia; BWB Europe 2001).
The NBA and FIBA have staged 54 BWB camps in 34 cities across 27 countries on six continents. More than 260 current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players have joined more than 200 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams to support BWB across the world.
BWB Asia 2018 was held in Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), Indiam from May 30-June 2. BWB Africa 2018 will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 1-4.
Photo credit: FIBA