The NBA plans on opening global Basketball academies in hopes of further developing talent — particularly teenage talent — around the World, The Vertical reported Wednesday afternoon.
The league hopes to “create pathways to higher education and professional Basketball”, while at the same time, improving the fundamentals, skills, and IQ of players aged 14 to 18 who could be on the path to playing professionally one day.
From The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony:
The program plans to work closely with players’ families and mentors to help them understand the academic component of the program and how that’ll assist them in achieving higher educational goals – regardless of how their basketball careers play out.
The NBA will provide coaching, strength and conditioning specialists, scouting, video and technical specialists, and will partner with local infrastructures to create what the NBA calls a “360 degree” development experience for the prospective players.
Elite prospects from other regions and countries with underdeveloped basketball infrastructures could be invited to Australia, where the NBA’s initiative will be headquartered. Australia will be considered a “catch-all” for high-level international talent, including players from beyond the initial scope of Africa, China and India.
The NBA wants to create a destination for young players that’ll give them an option beyond playing professionally at a young age overseas.
While the game of Basketball is a top priority for players, achieving a college education is just as important to many. The NBA plans on helping in both areas once this project begins, as The Vertical also reported:
The NBA will provide evaluation windows for the older players that will eventually be open to college coaches interested in recruiting them on scholarships.
For players interested in taking the professional route, agents will be allowed to meet with players in designated windows.The league believes that another natural extension of the global academies could come with the NBA Development League, which the NBA is planning to bolster. The D-League eventually could be a draw for elite players before they are draft-eligible.
Other global regions are expected to join in the program over time, a program that has the potential to positively change the NBA’s landscape in the coming years. This new program appears to be an extension of the NBA’s basketball without borders camps which have recently been in Europe, Africa last year and most recently in Australia just this past summer. Future plans include a camp in Finland.
The NBA is one of the most respected Major Leagues that exist today. Creating these Basketball academies that’ll help serve on the hardwood and off will only add to what’s been a long list of impressive moves from the league in recent years, led by Commissioner Adam Silver.
Woj and Givony delve deeper into the new venture.
