HCM CITY – Basketball player Danilo Gallinari, who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers team, will travel to HCM City to participate in the Junior NBA Việt Nam from June 22-24, according to the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Gallinari was drafted sixth overall by the New York Knicks in the 2008 NBA Draft. 

The Junior NBA, the league’s global youth basketball participation programme for boys and girls, teaches fundamental skills as well as the core values of the game at the grassroots level in an effort to help grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents. 

Born in Italy, he is one of 108 international players from a record 42 countries and territories who were on opening-night rosters for the 2017-18 NBA season. Gallinari averaged 15.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2 assists per game in his first season with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Gallinari will help coach 64 boys and girls selected from Regional Selection Camps in Hà Nội and HCM City.

“It’s extremely encouraging that thousands of Vietnamese boys and girls are picking up and enjoying the game through the Jr. NBA programme, and I can’t wait to meet some of them and help further their basketball development,” said Gallinari.

Eight boys and eight girls will be chosen from the National Training Camp to come to the 2018 Jr. NBA Vietnam All-Stars and they will travel to Shanghai in October to attend NBA China Games 2018 featuring the Philadelphia 76ers and the Dallas Mavericks.

During the 2017-18 season, the NBA will reach more than 26 million youth in 71 countries through a variety of camps, clinics, skills challenges, league play and outreach events. – VNS