NBA launches basketball school in Mumbai to strengthen grassroots development

National Basketball Association (NBA) on Friday announced the setting up of its first basketball school, a network of tuition-based basketball development programmes, in Mumbai. [caption id=“attachment_3373644” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Ryan Burns, Technical Director of the NBA Basketball School, conducts a session in Mumbai[/caption] The school, as part of a multi-year agreement announced on Friday with India On Track (IOT), is open to male and female players between ages 6-18, a media release said. The new initiative adds an additional layer to the NBA’s existing basketball development efforts, including the Jr. NBA, Basketball without Borders (BWB) and NBA Academies, the release said. Additional schools will be launched by NBA in India and around the world in the coming months, it added. “The NBA Basketball School builds an additional track between the Jr. NBA and NBA Academies with the goal of increasing the pool of players who have the talent to attend our academies around the world,” said NBA Vice President, International Basketball Operations and Head of Elite Basketball, Brooks Meek. The school’s curriculum has been developed by the NBA’s Elite Basketball Development team in consultation with current and former NBA coaches, former NBA players, and player development experts, the release explained.