NBA considering relocating academy from Australia to Indonesia: Minister

Jakarta (Indonesia), April 29 (IANS) The National Basketball Association (NBA) has expressed interest in relocating its basketball academy to Indonesia from Australia, according to local media reports quoting Indonesia's Youth and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo.

"The NBA wants its academy currently based in Australia to be moved to Indonesia due to the country's large basketball population," Ariotedjo said during the signing of an MOU between Indonesian Sports Promotion and the Indonesian Basketball Association in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He added that the NBA had conveyed this plan during a recent meeting with him in New York, where the league expressed a strong commitment to expanding its presence in Indonesia, including by opening a basketball academy, reports Xinhua.

According to Ariotedjo, Indonesia ranks among the top five countries globally in terms of basketball population, based on data from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). This data aligns with records from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, which show basketball as one of the most popular sports in the country.

"Therefore, we, the government, will certainly not only support this plan but also be proactive in facilitating it," he said.

The minister called on the Indonesian Basketball Association and the Indonesian Sports Promotion to actively support the NBA's plans. "This opportunity needs to be welcomed for the advancement of basketball in Indonesia," he added.

The NBA Global Academy is one of the elite basketball training centres located at Basketball Australia’s (BA) Centre of Excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra, Australia.

NBA Global Academy is a partnership with BA and serves as the NBA’s hub for top male and female prospects from outside the U.S. Up to sixteen elite athletes attend NBA Global Academy each year and train under the supervision of NBA-hired coaches and in collaboration with BA’s Centre of Excellence team and coaches.

The academy is part of the NBA's global outreach programme through training centres in all major continents to promote and nurture basketball talent around the world.

--IANS

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