Basketball News
Virtual development program launched by NBA Academy for top female prospects from outside the US
NEW YORK– The National Basketball Association (NBA) on Tuesday launched the NBA Academy Women’s Virtual Program, an eight-week basketball and leadership development program for over 40 of the top female, high-school age (14-17 years old) prospects from outside the USA.
Under the guidance of current and former WNBA players and the NBA Academy Staff, participants will join with their peers from across the globe and participate in basketball and life skills development programming.
Any parent or legal guardian interested in submitting an application on behalf of their child should submit their child’s HomeCourt profile or upload a skills video as outlined in the application form on the NBA Academy website by June 18. NBA Academy Women’s Virtual Program participants will be announced in June, with the program starting in July and running through August.
As part of the program’s on-court curriculum, participants will be provided with weekly virtual basketball lessons, instructions and challenges featuring present and former WNBA athletes. The interactive lessons will feature a range of shooting, ball handling and conditioning drills to promote holistic skill development. The best performing players will be considered for in-person basketball development camps and showcases in future.
The life skills programming will include weekly sessions focusing on leadership development, nutrition, goal setting, personal branding, mental health and wellness, player pathway education and women’s empowerment. Sessions will have guest speakers and experts from across the NBA and WNBA family, including NBA Academy Women’s Program Global Technical Director and 1996 Olympic Gold Medallist Jennifer Azzi.
“The NBA Academy Women’s Virtual Program will continue our mission of helping young women around the world develop as people and players,” said Azzi. “International players are making a significant impact at all levels of the women’s game, and this program will help top international prospects connect with their peers, learn directly from WNBA players and continue their development.”
25 participants have committed to NCAA Division I schools since the launch of NBA Academy Women’s Program in 2018. Han Xu from China became the first NBA Academy Women’s program participant to be drafted into the WNBA when she was chosen 14th overall by the New York Liberty in the 2019 WNBA Draft.
NBA Academy India graduate Lalhnehpuia Chhakchhuak enrols at North Park University
New Delhi, Jun 3 NBA Academy India graduate Lalhnehpuia Chhakchhuak has enrolled at North Park University in Chicago, Illinois, becoming the sixth male student-athlete from the academy to commit to a high school or college basketball programme in the US.
Chhakchhuak first participated in the 2017-18 Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program before joining NBA Academy India in 2018 as a part of the academy's second class of student-athletes identified through the ACG-NBA Jump program.
The 6-1 guard represented NBA Academy India at the 2018 and 2019 NBA Academy Games in Australia and the US, respectively, as well as the Point Loma Nazarene Team Camp in San Diego in 2019.
"I am looking forward to this opportunity at North Park University that will keep me on the pathway I have set out on," said Chhakchhuak.
"This wouldn't have been possible without the guidance of the coaching staff at the NBA Academy India and the constant support of my family." "We are certainly excited to add a player like Lalhnehpuia to our squad. In particular we like his size at the guard position and as he continues to get stronger we can envision how he can become an important piece within our program," said North Park head coach Thomas Slyder.
"His ability to play at the speed and pace he prefers to play at is an important characteristic for a guard to have." In addition to Lalhnehpuia, five other NBA Academy India student-athletes have committed to playing basketball in the US -- Harshwardhan Tomar (KEBA Preparatory School), Jagshaanbir Singh (Golden State Prep, Point Park University), Pranav Prince (First Love Christian Academy), Amaan Sandhu (First Love Christian Academy), and Riyanshu Negi (DME Sports Academy).
Princepal Singh became the first NBA Academy India graduate to sign a professional contract when he signed with the NBA G League Ignite.
NBA Academy India is an elite basketball training centre for the top prospects from across the country. New source PTI
Sixers defeat Lakers 109 - 101 at the Staples Cente
NBA Champions L.A Lakers are going through a rough patch. The absence of LeBron James and Anthony Davis have resulted in four consecutive losses despite a spirited comeback attempt in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers. For the most part, the game was evenly fought with the return of Marc Gosol who was playmaking from the center while the efforts of Dennis Schröder, Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope resulted in a total of 64 points. The ejection of Dwight Howard in the first quarter after bumping into Montrezl Harrell levelled the playing field for the two sides. The Lakers have a lot of positives to take despite the result, having been as much as 18 points down, they reduced the deficit to just three with less than a minute on the clock. Danny Green laid the final blow to his former team with 28 points in just 14 attempts and played an instrumental role in giving Philadelphia 76ers an 18 point lead. The Lakers currently have a 1.5 game lead over the Denver Nuggets and will face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, 8 am IST with the hope of getting back to winning ways without LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
L.A Lakers lose third straight game after 128-111 defeat to New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans ended a seven game losing streak against the L.A Lakers who played their second consecutive game without LeBron James. The Lakers also missed former Pelicans forward Anthony Davis who has been absent in the last month due to a calf strain. Brandon Ingram scored 36 points while Zion Williamson scored 27 points and 9 rebounds. Williamson has now set a record of 20 + points in 21 straight games, the most for a player under the age of 21 in NBA history. Ingram on the other hand was responsible for 65.2% of his team’s points in the third quarter, a ruthless display against his former team. It’s looking like a rough stretch of games for the NBA Champions who will look to overturn their form despite the absence of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. The trade deadline will end on March 25th with the Lakers facing Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
NBA announces return of its junior program in India
New Delhi, Mar 11 (PTI) The National Basketball Association (NBA), in collaboration with Reliance Foundation, on Thursday announced the return of its junior program for boys and girls across India. The 12-week live series, which will be conducted via Zoom and is free to anyone who wants to attend, tipped off on March 6 with a clinic hosted by Chicago Sky guard Sydney Colson of the WNBA. "The series will feature NBA, WNBA and NBA G League players, legends and coaches engaging participants in skill development, leadership and life skills sessions every Saturday morning IST," said the NBA in a statement. Two-time NBA All-Star Roy Hibbert will host the clinic on Saturday. Returning for the eighth consecutive year, the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program is a youth development initiative that aims to develop the game at the grassroots level. "Since its launch in 2013, the program has reached more than 11 million youth from more than 13,000 schools across 34 cities and has trained more than 13,000 physical education instructors nationwide," the statement added.
Misfiring Chennaiyin seek glimmer of hope against Jamshedpur
Bambolim, Feb 9 (PTI) Their play-off hopes fast receding, a desperate Chennaiyin FC will seek a turnaround when they take on Jamshedpur FC in an Indian Super League match here on Wednesday. Things just aren't going Chennaiyin's way. Their last game, a goalless draw against Bengaluru, was the ninth time they had failed to score this season -- the most by any team. Now, they find themselves in desperate need of results, if they aspire to reach the play-offs for the second straight time. At this stage, with plenty of other teams also fighting for the play-off spots, nothing less than a win in each game will suffice for the Marina Machans. And they'll be hoping to do just that when they face Jamshedpur FC at the GMC Stadium here. Chennaiyin now find themselves six points off the top four. The task appears difficult, but it's still mathematically possible. And Chennaiyin coach Csaba Laszlo has urged his team to keep fighting till the end. "We still hope and we don't give up our target of being in the top four. The possibility is there. And tomorrow's game will not only be important for Jamshedpur but for the other teams as well," he said. Chennaiyin's struggle in front of the goal have continued to cost them points despite the two-time winners creating plenty of chances. They have now not scored from open play for five games straight. "We know we are capable of winning games but we need to use our chances better. Even in the offensive part, we need more consistency. To miss so many chances after creating them isn't normal. But we trust our players and we keep going and try to play our football," Laszlo said. Meanwhile, Jamshedpur are placed a spot above their opponents with just a point separating them. "They're a tough team," said JFC coach Owen Coyle. "They've certainly created a lot of chances, but they haven't been as clinical as what they could be, but we know they are very tough opponents." "We can look to the next game as a cup final because we have to get points from that to keep on trying to reduce the deficit. Obviously, the teams that are already there have the advantage. "And that's the only way for us to get there. We have to try and win games to reach that spot if it becomes available."
NBA All: Star voting to kick start today
According to a press release by the NBA, the NBA All Star Voting 2021 presented by AT&T will commence from today, Jan 28th to Tuesday, Feb 16th. It will give the fans the chance to vote for the NBA All-Star starters. Discussions about a potential NBA All-Star game are ongoing. In the duration of the voting period, fans can submit one full ballot everyday using the NBA App and NBA.com as well as vote for 10 different players per day on Twitter. Every current NBA player is available for selection. NBA players and media will join the fans in selection of the NBA All - Star starters. Fans will have 50% of the vote whereas current players and a media panel will account for 25% each. After tallying all the votes, the players will be ranked in each conference by position (guard and front court) within each of the 3 voting groups - the fans, players and media votes. The NBA All Star starters will be announced from the two guards and three frontcourt players with the top score in each conference. Fan voting will serve as the tie breaker for a player in case of a position group with the same score. The fan voting updates will be shared on Thursday, 4th Feb and Thursday Feb 11. This season’s NBA All Star starters will be revealed on Thursday, Feb. 18th during the TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax.
Decathlon announced as the official licensee of the NBA
According to a press release sent by the NBA, one of the world's biggest sports goods retailers, Decathlon and the National Basketball Association (NBA) have announced a new multi-year merchandise partnership, making Decathlon an official license holder in India, Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America of the NBA. This would also be Decathlon’s first partnership with a North American sports league. The collaboration will constitute a dedicated range of NBA team and league - branded base layers, accessories and footwear designed by the Decathlon and sold under "TARMAK", their own basketball brand. "Since the creations of TARMAK four years ago, it has been our dream to collaborate with the NBA, the greatest basketball league in the world," said TARMAK leader Damien Dezitter. "We have a common objective to develop basketball all over the world, so it's natural to work together to make this possible." "We are excited to partner with Decathlon, a leader in sporting goods retail with a global footprint" said NBA EME Director, Global Partnerships Steve Griffiths. "Through this partnership, NBA fans and basketball players around the world will have access to an exciting and innovative range of merchandise to help them get in the game." The range will be sold exclusively in over 1,200 Decathlon stores all over the world including all outlets in India. It will also be available online on Decathlon.com with the pre-orders for products commencing in March 2021 before the April 2021 launch in stores.
NBA and Prasar Bharti announce content partnership
In a press release sent by the NBA, the National Basketball Association and Prasar Bharati (India's public service broadcaster) have announced today about their new partnership that will have Doordarshan (DD) Sports and it's youtube channel Prasar Bharti Sports broadcast classic NBA content along with documentaries, games highlights and public service announcements. The collaboration will feature daily content offerings consisting of Hardwood classics, NBA championship videos, marquee matchups, NBA TV specials and public service announcements. "We are pleased to partner with Prasar Bharti to offer classic NBA programming and highlights," said Sunny Malik, Head of Global Content and Media Distribution, NBA India. "Prasar Bharti shares our vision of growing the NBA's fanbase in India and providing a wide range of content to our fans nationwide.” Fans in India can catch up with the NBA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and download the official NBA app on iOS and Android for daily news and updates. Tags - NBA, India, Basketball, DD sports, Doordarshan, Prasar Bharti
L.A Lakers defeat OKC Thunder 128/99 to record 7th win on the road
The Chesapeake Energy Arena witnessed a record that hadn’t been broken since the 1985-86 season when the Lakers won their 7th successive game on the road. The reigning champions looked dominant throughout in what can only be described as a complete performance. The 36 year old Lebron James stood out from the pack with 26 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds, despite the fact that he was almost a decade older than most Thunder players, showing his quality with five out of eight successful attempts behind the arc. Anthony Davis got 18 points and 7 rebounds and has been leading the charge for the Lakers from Houston to Oklahoma. Montrezl Harrell also dropped a defensive masterclass with 21 points and 6 rebounds in a space of 25 minutes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up a spirited display for the Oklahoma City Thunder with 17 points, but couldn't influence the result that seemed destined for a Lakers win. The Los Angeles side will be facing the New Orleans Pelicans at Staples Center hoping to carry on their form and momentum to extend their winning streak to five.
Harris shines as Nets trash NBA topper 76ers
The Brooklyn Nets in the absence of their key players Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant managed to upset the NBA Table toppers Philadelphia 76ers with 122-109 on Thursday. The Nets played in their good ol' retro blue tie dye jerseys from the 90-91 season and dominated most of the second half with a double digit lead, ensuring their second consecutive win without Durant. LeVert added 22 points out of which 10 were assisted and 7 were rebounds while Jarret Allen added 15 points and 11 boards for the Nets. Irving was ruled out on Thursday citing personal reasons. The Nets then announced that Irving won't be traveling with the team to Memphis later that night. Durant missed out on the second consecutive game due to the NBA's strict health and safety protocols. However, Coach Steve Nash said that if Durant continues to test negative for the coronavirus, he would be able to return by Sunday. The 76ers were in high spirits with their clinical 141-136 victory over Washington on Wednesday but couldn't carry on their form as they ran into trouble with 20-8. However, they managed to come back with a lead early in the second quarter. Nevertheless, the Nets quickly bounced back and went up by 16 before taking a 65-51 lead in the half-time and were in a commanding position thereafter.
San Antonio Spurs shock L.A Lakers with a dominant display at the Staples Center
The Spurs beat the NBA champions 118 - 109 to end their 4 game winning streak. San Antonio Spurs overcame their early season slump in Los Angeles with a dominant display that saw five players reach double figures. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with a season high 28 points while Demar DeRozan got 19 points and 8 assists. The NBA champions saw LeBron James score 27 points and Anthony Davis get 23 points and 10 rebounds but saw their contributions fall short as the Lakers eventually lost by 9 points. The Spurs meant business right from the start, with a nine point lead that set the tone of the entire game. Their dominance was evident with a 15 point lead late in the first quarter and an eventual 65 - 56 lead at half-time. The Lakers eventually fought back with a 15 - 5 run to tie the score and a Montrezl Harell’s putback from a Talen Horton-Tucker’s miss evened the score at 89 with 1:04 to go before the Spurs seized the win. The Lakers will no doubt consider this a wake up call to make amends, especially in defense while the Spurs would consider this win a motivation to push forward and set their sights on the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
Celtics beat the Heat 107/105 to avenge last seasons Eastern Conference Finals
It was the first matchup between last year’s East finalists that ended in a nail biting finish, with Payton Pritchard’s putback two tenths of a second left sealing the win for Boston Celtics. Jayson Tayton scored 27 points and Jaylen Brown had 21 points in a matchup that saw Celtics wastefully let go of an early 17 point lead and a 10 point lead until the final minute, to eventually get the edge over Miami Heat. For Miami, Jimmy Butler had 26 points, Duncan Robinson got 16, Bam Adebayo with 15 and 14 from Goran Dragic. Miami Heat made an inspiring comeback to score 10 points in 55 seconds to tie the game, thanks to a pair of 3-pointers by Robinson and another one from Dragic. The Heat fell short at the end with Pritchard swooping in from a rebound with only two tenths of a second left on the clock. The Celtics made it difficult for themselves considering they made five 3-pointers in the first 5:45 to lead 21 - 9 and also held Miami to one field goal in the second quarter for eight minutes to lead by 17. It’s a testament to the spirit shown by Miami Heat players to cut the lead by eight by halftime and overturn the deficit by five in the third quarter. Both teams were tied at 80 with 12 minutes left on the clock thanks to Grant Williams putback in the final second of the third quarter.