NBA in Cuba: Basketball Organization to Hold Basketball Camp in Caribbean Country; Steve Nash, Mutombo to Participate
As the first professional United States sports league to visit Cuba since relations between the U.S. and the communist country have started to thaw, the National Basketball Association will organize a four-day development basketball camp in Cuba later in April.
Legendary retired players such as Steve Nash, Dikembe Mutombo and former Women's National Basketball Association player Ticha Penicheiro will be among those teaching at the camp.
All professional sports have been banned in Cuba for more than five decades.
Regardless of those restrictions, Cuban basketball has occasionally done well on the world stage.
In the 1972 Summer Olympics, the men's national team took the bronze medal. And in 2013, the Cuban women's basketball team won the International Basketball Federation Americas Championship.
The NBA has stated that it has selected former players who were capable of speaking Spanish to be part of the camp, which is meant to foster Cuban basketball talent.
The head coach of the Utah Jazz, Quin Snyder, as well James Borrego, coach of the Orlando Magic, will also travel to the island for the camp which starts on April 23.
The camp, run by Basketball without Borders, will invite two players along with a coach from Cuba to take part in the event.
As quoted in a BBC article, Mutombo has stated that his upcoming visit will be "a fantastic opportunity to teach the values of our game and learn from one another."
Ruperto Herrera, the president of the Cuban Basketball Federation, called the upcoming Spring event "magnificent."
With the stipulation that Cuba could always recall their players for competitions, Cuba has allowed some of its athletes to play in professional leagues overseas since 2013.
Last year, the U.S. and Cuba announced that they would be moving towards normalizing bilateral relations.
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