Kevin Durant flying to coach top talents at NBA Academy India

Durant will spend time coaching the wards.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) on Thursday announced that Kevin Durant of Golden State Warriors will fly to India on a mission to support the growth of basketball and to train the students at the NBA Academy India.

According to an official release of NBA, Durant will travel to New Delhi later this month to inaugurate two new basketball courts at Ramjas School as part of the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation’s BUILD IT AND THEY WILL BALL Courts Renovation Initiative.

After the event, he will visit the NBA Academy in Noida. The 6 ft 9 in small forward will become the first ever active NBA player to visit the academy that trains the best of India’s basketball talents.

According to the report, Durant will spend time coaching the wards through a series of shooting, passing, dribbling and defensive drills.

Later during the day, Durant will conduct a mega basketball clinic for 5,000 youth from the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program. A thousand athletes will be present onsite, while another 4,000 boys and girls will join from Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata via a satellite link.

“I’m excited to travel to India to help promote the game of basketball and meet the prospects at The NBA Academy India,” Durant said.  “I’ve wanted to visit India for a long time, and I can’t wait to experience the country’s unique culture and share my knowledge with the kids there.”

“We are thrilled to host 2017 Finals MVP Kevin Durant in India,” said NBA India Managing Director Yannick Colaco.  “Kevin is coming off a historic season with the Golden State Warriors.  Having one of the very best players in our league interact with the basketball playing youth of India will serve as great inspiration to the next generation of players here, especially the high-performing prospects at The NBA Academy India.”

The Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program has till now catered to 6 million youth and has given training to more than 5,000 physical education instructors nationwide since its launch in 2013.

According to the NBA official website, “Durant, a 6’9” forward from the University of Texas, was selected second overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA Draft.  An eight-time NBA All-Star and the 2014 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, Durant averaged 25.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.1 steals per game during the 2016-17 NBA season while leading the Golden State Warriors to the franchise’s fifth NBA Championship.”

The NBA Academy India, located at Jaypee Greens Integrated Sports Complex, was officially opened in May. The academy offers students an opportunity to compete against top competition throughout the year and a few selected students get a chance to travel with teams that play in international tournaments and exhibition games.