Kochi: NBA legend Muggsy Bogues tipped off Kerala’s first-ever Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA City Championship today, which will have participation from schools across Kochi and Kottayam. The championship is being held from 6 – 8 February, 2014 at the Sacred Heart CMI Public School in the city.

Bogues, who is currently the head coach for the United Faith Christian Academy men’s high school basketball team in North Carolina, interacted with kids and coaches from various schools in the city, teaching them fundamentals of the game and the importance of leading a healthy, active lifestyle. Bogues, who stands 5 feet 3 inches, played 14 seasons in the NBA.

Bogues’ professional career began when he was selected by the Washington Bullets and from there he went on to play with the Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors. He is the first-ever NBA legend to visit Kerala.

More than 100 schools and 80,000 youth have participated in the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program since it began in November in Kochi and Kotayyam. The City Championship marks the culmination of three competitions that have been taking place across the city. There will be a finals of the 5x5 team competition featuring more than 130 boys and girls teams from across the city; a 3x3 team competition featuring more than 230 teams; and the finals of the Hot Shot individual shooting competition, which will see one boy and girl crowned as the best shooters in the city.
“This is my second time to India and the game is definitely growing quickly,” said Bogues. “The Reliance Foundation and the NBA are conducting a great program and it is an honor to help teach basketball and to let kids know that you do not have to be 7-feet tall to play basketball.”

The Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program promotes health, fitness and an active lifestyle through basketball, and teaches the values of the game such as teamwork, sacrifice, discipline, dedication and sportsmanship. The program featured a combination of in-school and after-school activities along with basketball competitions.

“The Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program has received an immense response in Kochi with spirited participation of children and active support of schools and parents. Presence of NBA Legends like Muggsy Bogues is a great inspiration for young fervent players in India. We are looking forward to scaling up the program across different cities in India and promoting the medium of sports towards a healthy lifestyle.” said Jagannatha Kumar, Head, Reliance Foundation.

The Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program has featured more than 5,000 in-school basketball sessions along with 11 after-school basketball locations which have provided youth the opportunity to learn from four NBA-supplied certified international coaches who have overseen the program, trained local coaches and conducted clinics.

The program provided training to over 130 physical education instructors/coaches and more than 100 schools were provided with resources to promote participation and a healthy, active lifestyle. NBA-supplied coaches trained these local coaches and each received a ‘Basketball in a Bag,’ which contained a localized coaching guide, cones, whistles, a stopwatch, posters, and an air pump. In addition, more than 2,500 basketballs were provided to participating schools in order to give youth an opportunity to learn and enjoy the game.

Speaking at occasion, Yannick Colaco, Managing Director, NBA India said, “We are extremely pleased at the response we have received so far. The coming of NBA legend like Muggsy Bogues and WNBA champion Swin Cash has inspired Indian youth to lead healthy, active lifetsyles through basketball. I would like to thank Muggsy for extending his support to our program and I am confident that his visit will have a very positive impact on the game in the country.”

Reliance Foundation and NBA India entered into a multiyear partnership in October 2013 to launch a comprehensive school-based youth basketball program in India with Mumbai being the first city to tip off the program.