NBA stars Casspi, Robinson to instruct at Israel hoops camp

Golden State Warriors forward Omri Casspi, the first Israeli player in the NBA, and retired San Antonio Spurs legend David Robinson are among instructors at the Basketball Without Borders camp starting Sunday in Israel.

The youngsters appearing at the 16th European edition of the global camps organized by the NBA and governing body FIBA were announced Thursday.

Top boys and girls from 22 nations will attend the sessions in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Netanya, the first to be staged in Israel.

Casspi, 29, signed a free agent deal with the reigning NBA champion Warriors last month after spending parts of last season with Sacramento, New Orleans and Minnesota. He has also played for Cleveland and Houston since starting his NBA career in 2009.

Robinson, a 10-time NBA All-Star center, was a two-time NBA champion, two-time Olympic champion and the 1995 NBA Most Valuable Player during a career that spanned from 1989-2003.

Other active NBA players at the camp include Philadelphia guard Jerryd Bayless, Los Angeles Clippers forward Sam Dekker and Toronto Raptors swingman Normall Powell, all from the United States.

"Landed in Israel! Excited for a good week of Basketball Without Borders with the @NBA," Dekker tweeted Thursday.

More than 2,860 participants from 134 nations have taken part in 51 Basketball Without Borders camps in 26 countries since 2001, with 46 of them having been selected in the NBA Draft.

source: AFP