Bam Adebayo to coach at Basketball Without Borders Africa 2023
Bam is headed across the globe for a unique opportunity.
It was announced on Tuesday morning by the NBA and FIBA that former Kentucky Wildcat turned Miami Heat All-Star, Bam Adebayo, will help coach top prospects from Africa at this year’s Basketball Without Borders camp. Adebayo is one of four current NBA players set to coach in the event, joining Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers), Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State Warriors), and Jalen Suggs (Orlando Magic).
This will be the 19th edition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa, which is scheduled to run from Friday, July 28 through Monday, July 31 at the American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ) in South Africa. The camp will feature 80 of the top high school prospects (both boys and girls) from all over Africa.
According to the camp’s press release, Adebayo’s responsibilities as coach will be as follows: “lead the campers through a variety of activities, including movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests, 5-on-5 games, and life skills and leadership development sessions.” Additionally, Adebayo and the other coaches will participate in community outreach initiatives around the city of Johannesburg.
Adebayo isn’t the only former Wildcat set to make the trip, either. Former Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey, who is now in a front-office role with the franchise, will also serve as a BWB coach. Casey played at Kentucky from 1975-79 and was an assistant coach during the ’79-80 season — all under then-head coach Joe B. Hall.
The schedule for Adebayo, Casey, and the rest of the coaches will include visits to nearby hospitals, meet and greets with fans, leading a development clinic for local coaches, and much more. BWB is responsible for helping 112 former campers make it to either the NBA or WNBA. In total, BWB has impacted 4,100 participants across 136 countries and territories since 2001.
On the hardwood for Miami, Adebayo is coming off a 2022-23 season that saw him make his second All-Star Game appearance and first since ’19-20. The 6-foot-9 big man averaged a career-high 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 34.6 minutes per game. The 26-year-old appeared in 75 games for the Heat last season, which entered the 2023 Playoffs as an eight-seed but made it all the way to the NBA Finals. He also made his fourth NBA All-Defensive Team in the process.
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