Basketball

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoàng Đạo Cương (second, left) with Mark Tatum, deputy commissioner and COO of the NBA during their meet in New York on September 22. Photo bvhttdl.gov.vn

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam hopes to receive stronger support from the American National Basketball Association (NBA) to develop the country's basketball movement.

The proposal was made by Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoàng Đạo Cương in a meeting with Mark Tatum, deputy commissioner and COO of the NBA, during his working trip to the US on September 22 local time.

The discussions are being seen as a way to open a new chapter in Việt Nam-US sport cooperation, especially basketball.

Tatum said that the NBA had established partnerships with various Asian nations, such as China, Japan, Singapore and, most recently, Việt Nam. The association was also interested in developing school-based and women's basketball, helping to expand access to sports and promote gender equality.

Cương confirmed these were also two fields that Việt Nam has paid a lot of attention to in recent years. 

The Deputy Minister said basketball had great advantage to develop in Việt Nam. Although the VBA, was a new competition compared to other leagues in the region, Việt Nam’s professional basketball movement develop sustainably in the community, with women’s basketball also achieving notable success.

He reviewed that the Jr. NBA programme was implemented in Việt Nam since 2014 and helped establish a network of school-based basketball nationwide. The NBA official global youth basketball development programme for both boys and girls, reached and connected more than 30 million children in the Asia-Pacific region.

It was an important foundation for the further cooperation of the two sides in the upcoming years.

Cương proposed that the NBA should further expand its presence in Việt Nam and increase activities involving NBA stars – such as meet-and-greets, exchanges and exhibition matches – to inspire the youth.

Việt Nam also sought NBA support for the development of school and women's basketball, as well as collaboration in the training, scouting, and development of young talent.

The Vietnamese delegation also proposed the signing of a memorandum of understanding regarding cooperation, support, and the sharing of expertise in developing school-based basketball.

The Deputy Minister said secondary schools and universities in Việt Nam were keen to expand their physical education programmes, in which basketball was a sport with significant potential to grow. — VNS