Embassy News
NBA Basketball Envoys Visit Kazakhstan
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| Sam Perkins eyes up the hoop |
On Sunday, August 17, Basketball Envoys Becky Bonner and Sam Perkins, representing the United States Department of State and the National Basketball Association, attended Astana City Sports Day where they put on a short clinic for a group of young, enthusiastic Kazakhstani basketball players. They also took part in a skills competition with members of the local professional basketball team, the Astana Tigers, and were interviewed by two Kazakhstani television crews.
After the public part Sports Day, the Envoys were invited to a banquet hosted by the Astana Sports Committee where they met well-known Kazakhstani sports figures and other members of Kazakhstan’s sports community. Their day ended with a basketball-themed barbeque at the house of the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) at the U.S. Embassy, Kevin Milas.
On Monday, August 18, Ms. Bonner and Mr. Perkins, accompanied by the DCM, ventured to the outskirts of Astana to visit a shelter for disadvantaged youth. At the shelter the Envoys and DCM presented two portable basketball goals and 10 basketballs. Then the Envoys put the children through a series of drills and relay races.
On August 19 - 20, Ms. Bonner and Mr. Perkins visited the Tau-Samaly summer camp near Taraz to lead intensive practices with 70 kids from 10 - 16 years of age. The next day they ran and basketball tournament.
This summer camp was part of the U.S. Embassy’s Youth Empowerment Program, the purpose of which was to raise awareness among young people about the threat of extremism by candidly discussing the issues and by teaching critical thinking and leadership skills. Participants learned to resist these threats and develop leadership skills through positive activities such as sports, photography, and English language education.