Bjelica, Bogdanovic, Harris, Jokic, Kaminsky, Boban Marjanovic and Vucevic headline Basketball Without Borders Europe 2018
NEW YORK, BELGRADE, MIES – The National Basketball Association (NBA), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Basketball Federation of Serbia announced today the full roster of current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players and coaches who will take part in Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Europe 2018. The 17th edition of BWB Europe, which will take place at the Zarkovo Sports Hall in Belgrade, Serbia from Aug. 15-18, will bring together 63 of the top boys and girls ages 17 and under from 25 European countries.
Nemanja Bjelica (Sacramento Kings; Serbia), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Kings; Serbia), Gary Harris (Denver Nuggets, U.S.), Nikola Jokic (Nuggets; Serbia), Frank Kaminsky (Charlotte Hornets; U.S.), Boban Marjanovic (LA Clippers; Serbia), Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic; Montenegro), along with WNBA players Ana Dabovic (Los Angeles Sparks; Serbia) and Sonja Petrovic (Phoenix Mercury; Serbia), will coach the top high school age campers from throughout Europe
Also participating in the camp will be Kings’ General Manager Vlade Divac (Serbia), Kings Assistant General Manager Peja Stojakovic (Serbia), San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich, NBA assistant coaches Popeye Jones (Indiana Pacers), Dan Bisaccio (Miami Heat), Darko Rajakovic (Oklahoma City Thunder; Serbia), Ognjen Stojakovic (Nuggets; Serbia), Nick U’Ren (Golden State Warriors) and Jacques Vaughn (Brooklyn Nets), and former WNBA player Ruth Riley.
Marin Sedlacek (Philadelphia 76ers; Serbia) and Patrick Hunt (President of the World Association of Basketball Coaches; Australia), will serve as Camp Directors with Drew Yoder (Golden State Warriors) serving as the athletic trainer.
The first-ever Basketball Without Borders camp took place in Europe in July 2001. Vlade Divac and Toni Kukoc (Croatia), together with former teammates from the Yugoslav national team, reunited to work with 50 children from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia and Montenegro at La Ghirada in Treviso, Italy.
BWB Europe 2018 will also include NBA Cares community outreach efforts with youth in Belgrade, including packing and delivering care packages to young people dealing with illnesses. Nike, a BWB global partner since 2002, will outfit the campers and coaches with Nike apparel and footwear.
BWB has reached more than 3,300 participants from 130 countries and territories since 2001, with more than 55 former campers drafted into the NBA or signed as free agents. A record 24 former BWB campers were on opening-night rosters for the 2017-18 season, including Milos Teodosic (LA Clippers; Serbia; BWB Europe 2001).
The NBA and FIBA have staged 55 BWB camps in 34 cities across 27 countries on six continents. More than 260 current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players have joined more than 200 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams to support BWB across the world.
Follow BWB using the hashtag #BWBEurope on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
BWB Asia 2018 was held in Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), India from May 30 – June 2. BWB Africa 2018 was held in Johannesburg, South Africa from Aug. 1 – 4.
About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League. The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2017-18 season featured 108 international players from a record 42 countries and territories. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.5 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.