NBA star Ricky Rubio leads all-star basketball camp in the UAE

Jay Asser 09:59 16/06/2015
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  • Rubio will be at the Basicball Academy camp.

    NBA star Ricky Rubio and former sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic are heading to Dubai later this summer as part of Basicball Academy’s upcoming camp.

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    Two of international basketball’s biggest names will be special guests at the academy camp, which will be held from August 22-28 at the indoor facility of Dubai Sports World.

    Basicball Academy, founded by former European basketball star Zoran Savic, have been planning on bringing over some of the sport’s notable names to the UAE since forming in Dubai in 2014.

    “In the last year, we’ve been working on this idea to bring the two NBA stars to organise a basketball camp,” Savic said.

    “For sure, we’ll plan in the future to do more things in Dubai with traditional basketball camps. For us, it’s very important to promote the academy and promote to the teenage age group, because Ricky Rubio is the kind of player followed by teenagers.”

    Savic knows both Rubio and Stojakovic personally, having been general manager of FC Barcelona during Rubio’s playing career in Spain and spending time with Stojakovic while they were in Greece.

    “I was talking to Peja about Dubai because I love Dubai. He told me he would absolutely come,” Savic said.

    “When I was in Barcelona, I brought Ricky and I know his family and everybody. For me, he’s very important because he went fifth in the draft years ago and he’s one of the best point guards in the NBA.”

    Rubio played for FC Barcelona after being drafted fifth overall in 2009 by the Minnesota Timberwolves before coming to the NBA in 2011. In his four seasons with Minnesota, the playmaker has averaged 10.2 points, 8.2 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals.

    Stojakovic is best known for his career with the Sacramento Kings, who drafted him 14th overall in 1996. The Serbian was a three-time All-Star, made the All-NBA Second Team in 2004, won the championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 and ranks 10th all-time in NBA history with 1,760 3-pointers made.

    Players will meet Rubio and Stojakovic at the camp, which is for age groups five to seven, eight to 12, 13 to 16 and 17 to 25-years-old.

    There are approximately 170 spots open and the cost is Dh2,990. Registration will open in the next week and for more information, visit www.basicball.com or www. dubaisportsworld.ae.

    Savic has already seen the potential for basketball in the UAE and believes more has to be done to develop the sport. “I think kids here love basketball, but the problem is they don’t have the opportunity to play seriously. For sure in the future, we would like to organise some high school league or tournaments for universities here, because they don’t have it.”

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