the essential
While the NBA prepares to ignite the Parisian courts with two matches on January 23 and 25, Toulouse received a stop on the Junior NBA France City Tour. For two days, 300 young people from across the region had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of American Basketball, and, why not, to dream of a future under the lights of the NBA.
For Kamy, Gabin or Lise, college students who are passionate about basketball, it is a day that will remain engraved in their memory. It may even be a first step towards their goal. “It’s incredible,” Kamy breathes. “I dream of playing in the NBA, I hope to go there one day.” “Since I learned that I was going to participate today, I only thought about that” adds Gabin.
Organized jointly by the NBA, the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) and the Union Nationale du Sport Scolaire (UNSS), the Junior NBA France City Tour stopped in Toulouse to organize games, workshops and tournaments for middle school students practicing basketball. basketball at school.
For Françoise Recoura, deputy regional director at the UNSS, this partnership is a bridge between two worlds: “The children are very motivated, the NBA makes them dream. In theory it is something inaccessible, that they only see them on television.
A special link between basketball and France
It must be said that basketball is enjoying resounding success in France, in particular thanks to the effect of the 2024 Olympic Games. “It was already a very popular sport, but since the Games, the clubs are really full and there are still young people looking to register” underlines Aurore Filliatre, deputy director of the Ligue Occitanie.
-France has become a real breeding ground for basketball. Players like Tony Parker, Nicolas Bathum, or, more recently, Victor Wenbanyama, have helped to strengthen ties between the country and the NBA. Bill Bayno, former assistant coach in the NBA having worked for the Toronto Raptors or the Detroit Pistons, confides: “France is a bit like the new frontier of the NBA. There are so many good players who come from here… I even think that Wembanyama could become the greatest player in history.”
Coming to share advice and anecdotes with young people and their coaches, he explains: “I love coming to talk about my experience with young people. There is perhaps a future Tony Parker among them. The champions were like them at the same age : they dreamed and worked hard. Enough to inspire a whole generation of young players.
Morocco
