NEW YORK AND MIES, SWITZERLAND, Feb. 9, 2023 –The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) today announced the top 40 male prospects from 27 countries who will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah for the seventh annual Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Global camp, which will be held Friday, Feb. 17 – Sunday, Feb. 19 at the Utah Jazz Practice Facility as part of NBA All-Star 2023.
Top high-school-age campers from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe will participate in a variety of activities, including anthropometric and athletic testing, movement efficiency, skill development stations, shooting and skills competitions, life skills seminars and 5-on-5 games, under the guidance of NBA Basketball Operations staff and select NBA players attending NBA All-Star 2023.
Members of the NBA Coaching Development Program (CDP), which assists former players who are looking to transition into the coaching ranks and further deepen the pipeline of coaching talent across leagues, will also serve as BWB Global coaches. Patrick Hunt (President of the World Association of Basketball Coaches; Australia), Gersson Rosas (New York Knicks Senior Basketball Advisor; Colombia) and Masai Ujiri (Toronto Raptors President and Vice Chairman; Nigeria) will be the camp directors.
The final day will feature a single-elimination tournament culminating with the championship game, which will be followed by a ceremony to award the Kim Bohuny Camp MVP, the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award, the Defensive MVP, and the Three-Point Champion. The campers will also attend the 72nd NBA All-Star Game at Vivint Arena later that day.
Among the 38 former BWB campers on opening-night NBA rosters this season (active and inactive), 23 participated in BWB Global, including Deandre Ayton (Phoenix Suns; Bahamas; BWB Global 2016), RJ Barrett (New York Knicks; Canada; BWB Global 2017), Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City Thunder; Australia; BWB Global 2020), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder; Canada; BWB Global 2016), Rui Hachimura (Los Angeles Lakers; Japan; BWB Global 2016), Lauri Markkanen (Jazz; Finland; BWB Global 2015), Bennedict Mathurin (Indiana Pacers; Canada; BWB Global 2020) and Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets; Canada; BWB Global 2015).
The camp will feature 11 current prospects from NBA Academy, a year-round elite basketball development program that provides top high-school-age athletes from outside the U.S. with a holistic approach to player development and a predictable pathway to maximize their potential. NBA Academies have been launched in Canberra, Australia (NBA Global Academy); Delhi National Capital Region, India (NBA Academy India); San Luis Potosí, Mexico (NBA Academy Latin America); and Saly, Senegal (NBA Academy Africa) for top prospects from their respective countries and continents. To date, more than 90 NBA Academy participants have committed to or gone on to attend NCAA Division I schools in the U.S., and 18 have played, are playing or have signed to play professionally, including Dyson Daniels (New Orleans Pelicans; NBA Global Academy), Giddey (NBA Global Academy), and Mathurin (NBA Academy Latin America).
Nike, a global partner of BWB since 2002, will outfit the campers and coaches with Nike apparel and footwear.
For the first time, the NBA, WNBA and FIBA will host a separate BWB Global camp for top high-school-age female prospects from outside the U.S. in July as part of AT&T WNBA All-Star 2023 in Las Vegas.
BWB, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program, has reached more than 3,900 participants from 134 countries and territories since 2001, with 105 former campers advancing to the NBA or WNBA. The NBA and FIBA have staged 66 BWB camps in 43 cities across 31 countries on six continents.
Follow the camp using the hashtag #BWBGlobal on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Find out more about BWB at BasketballWithoutBorders.com, on Twitter (@NBAAcademyPR) and on Instagram (@NBAAcademy).
The following is a complete list of players participating in the seventh annual BWB Global camp (rosters are subject to change):
Name | Country/Region |
Dylan Bordon | Argentina |
Juan Respaud | Argentina |
Klairus Amir | Australia |
Eduardo Klafke* | Brazil |
Samis Calderon* | Brazil |
Ulrich Kamka Chomche* | Cameroon |
Christian Nitu | Canada |
Hudson Ward | Canada |
Felix Kossaras | Canada |
Thierry Darlan* | Central African Republic |
Junjie Wang* | China |
Qingfang Pang | China |
Wei Lun Zhao | China |
Rodrigo Aybar | Dominican Republic |
Paul Kabenga Mbiya* | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Parby Kabamba Musongela* | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Seifeldin Kaidar Ahmed Youssef Hendawy* | Egypt |
Miro Little | Finland |
Ilane Fibleuil | France |
Pacome Dadiet | France |
Killian Malwaya | France |
Tidjane Salaun | France |
Alexandros Samodurov | Greece |
Ibrahim Souare | Guinea |
Mohammad Amini | Iran |
Taiga Okada | Japan |
Karim Rtail | Lebanon |
Matas Buzelis | Lithuania |
Motiejus Krivas | Lithuania |
Mathias M’Madi | Madagascar |
Jesus Santi Ochoa* | Mexico |
Dontae Russo-Nance | New Zealand |
Churchill Abass* | Nigeria |
Ruben Prey | Portugal |
Ousmane N’Diaye | Senegal |
Modou Fall Thiam* | Senegal |
Bogoljub Markovic | Serbia |
Nikola Topic | Serbia |
Aday Mara | Spain |
Elliot Cadeau | Sweden |
*NBA Academy Prospect