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Second Annual Clinic Teams Special Olympics Athletes and Coaches with NBA's Future Rising Stars
NEW YORK CITY, 23 June 2008 – On Wednesday, 25 June at 3:00 p.m. (EST) more than 60 Special Olympics athletes and coaches will team up with the NBA's 2008 Draft prospects at an NBA Cares basketball clinic held at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The NBA prospects will coach the athletes on basketball fundamentals as well as discuss with them the importance of team work, sportsmanship, a positive attitude and their love of the game.
NBA hopefuls including Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley and Kevin Love will be joined by 10 other prospects as they lead drills and help sharpen the shooting, passing, dribbling and rebounding skills of the Special Olympics athletes. NBA Legend and Hall of Famer Bob Lanier will co-emcee the clinic with Special Olympics New York athlete Matt Schuester. In addition, New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba will be on hand to support the event.
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“This is an incredible opportunity not only for our Special Olympics athletes, but for the players,” said Neal Johnson, Chief Executive Officer for Special Olympics New York. “This clinic is a great opportunity for Special Olympics athletes to learn from some of the NBA's rising stars. Through programs like the NBA Cares basketball clinic, we get a chance to strengthen the confidence and skills of our Special Olympics athletes, while promoting a sense of unity and acceptance with NBA players and fans.”
This is the second year that the NBA Cares clinic will be held. In 2007, current NBA players including the Seattle Supersonics' Kevin Durant and Atlanta Hawks' Al Horford participated.
Special Olympics' relationship with the NBA began over 30 years ago when the league assisted Special Olympics in introducing basketball as a new sport to the movement. NBA Cares has had continuous involvement with Special Olympics through sponsorship of basketball tournaments, the creation of public service announcements with NBA players and player appearances at major Special Olympics events. This is the second year the NBA Cares basketball clinic has been held. The NBA's Basketball without Borders program has conducted clinics with Special Olympics Programs in China, Puerto Rico, Russia, France, Italy, Africa, Spain and Turkey.
About NBA Cares
NBA Cares is the league's social responsibility initiative that builds on the NBA's long tradition of addressing important social issues in the United States and around the world. Through this umbrella program, the NBA, its teams and players have donated more than $81 million to charity, completed approximately 550,000 hours of community service and created more than 300 places where kids and families can live, learn and play. NBA Cares works with internationally-recognized youth-serving programs that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes, including: the American Red Cross, UNICEF, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis.
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